Vignette Seven - The Rules of Being a Wife
by jellybean49
Summary: Fresh from their wedding, Elizabeth learns the rules of being married to a Mountie, but can she follow them?
1. Chapter 1

_**Dear Readers: I got the idea for this Vignette from a review that one of the readers had posted for Vignette 6: Wedding Dust. For those of you who may be veterans, wives of veterans, or children of veterans, maybe you weren't given written "Rules", but I'm sure that most of the basic Rules in this story will seem familiar to you. Enjoy!**_

VIGNETTE 7 - THE RULES OF BEING A MOUNTIE WIFE

Chapter 1

 **Rule number 1: Make every house, however despicable, a warm and cozy home.**

 **Rule number 2: Learn to make friends quickly (provided there are other people around).**

 **Rule number 3: Remember that you have something special to add to every person you meet (this helps when making new friends, see rule number 2)**

 **Rule number 4: Be prepared for times when you'll be alone.**

 **Rule number 5: Learn to adapt to new customs and foods. (Bear can be substituted for deer in many meals, and dried animal dung can be burned as a heat source, but save this as a last resort for warming a home. See rule number 1.)**

 **Rule number 6: Don't get attached to material things (they're likely to get broken, lost, or take up too much space when you frequently move).**

Elizabeth sat down on the edge of her bed, holding in her hand the written advice from other Mountie wives, and sighed.

Married life was not like she expected.

She certainly hadn't planned that she and Jack would be sleeping in the room next to Clara and across the hall from Abigail.

That was the problem: they hadn't planned. She and Jack had gotten married so abruptly two weeks earlier that they hadn't remembered until after the ceremony that they didn't have a place to live as husband and wife. Now they were sleeping on two single beds pushed together in Elizabeth's old room above the Café, and Jack was fully frustrated.

"Two days of honeymooning is not enough. We need privacy", he moaned for the tenth time in as many days as he moved around the bed, gathering his clothes for the morning.

 _How am I supposed to follow Rule number 1 and make every house a warm and cozy home when we don't even have a home yet?,_ Elizabeth thought with exasperation.

"How's the cottage coming along?", she asked, folding up the paper of Mountie Wife rules and returning it to her dresser drawer as she pulled out her undergarments.

"Three more days. Maybe four. . . . It can't come soon enough. I want to be able to walk out of my bedroom without having to be fully dressed and worried about bumping into someone. I'll meet you downstairs."

When Elizabeth had first seen the small cottage on the edge of the woods which Lee had offered to have some of his men fix up, she had been less than enthusiastic. She hadn't complained when her foot had broken through the plank of rotten wood; she had merely looked up the leaking ceiling above it as Jack offered her his hand and helped her out of the hole her foot had created.

And she hadn't complained, but merely raised her eyebrows and looked pleadingly at Jack, when she saw that the outhouse didn't even have a door.

But she hadn't been able to contain a scream from escaping her mouth when a mouse had run across her foot in a hurried attempt to get to its nest of baby mice in the corner of the kitchen.

Jack had assured her that the cottage would be a fitting home. She thought about suggesting that they wait until one of the former coal company homes became available, but she agreed with Jack; not only was her room at Abigail's crowded for the two of them, but she missed the privacy which they had enjoyed for two days at the hotel after their wedding.

Since they had been back at Hope Valley, Jack had gone to bed each night and frustratingly complained that he wanted to touch his wife without falling between the pushed together mattresses or worrying that half the town would hear them.

As she finished dressing and then went to join Jack in the kitchen for Abigail's food, Elizabeth thought about her and Jack having their own home soon, snuggled together in their own big bed, waking up each morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and a warm breakfast. She paused when she got to the last step. _Wait a minute, who's going to be making the coffee and breakfast if we're both snuggled in bed?!_

"Elizabeth, everything okay? You're just standing there", Jack asked in a puzzled voice when he looked up from the newspaper and saw her standing on the stairs.

"Fine. I was just thinking", she said quickly. _Breakfast? He's going to expect a nice breakfast every morning! I'll have to get up even earlier, before him! ,_ she thought with dread.

Suddenly her eyes spotted the parcel and letters on the table. "Ooh, is that mail? I didn't get a chance to go pick it up yesterday."

As Jack got Elizabeth a cup of coffee, she opened the parcel, and read the letter from her mother, who informed her that they were sending her several more parcels of wedding gifts on the next train. _Hmmm, I'll have to tell her that we won't have a terribly big home,_ she thought before turning her attention to the Hamilton Press, which her mother had enclosed.

"There it is!", she exclaimed happily to Jack as she read the announcement to herself before handing the paper to him.

Setting down his cup of coffee, Jack casually picked up the paper and looked to the open page.

"What?", he inquired as he looked at the paper.

"Our wedding announcement!"

"I don't see it", he remarked looking at the page of announcements.

"On the other page!"

"Why isn't it on the society page?"

"There were too many to fit on one page. Look . . . half are on the opposite page."

"So our marriage announcement is on the same page as an article on tornados, an article on a train derailment, and an advertisement for a traveling circus?. . . . How appropriate", he said with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

Elizabeth gave Jack an exasperated look, and noticed that Abigail, having overheard Jack's comment, was trying to stifle a laugh as she walked by their table.

* * *

A week later, a gift from her parents arrived by wagon after having traveled by train to the nearest train station, where it waited until it could be transferred onto a wagon that could accommodate it to Hope Valley.

When Jack saw the size of the rug, he looked at her quizzically.

"Your family doesn't understand this whole Mountie lifestyle, do they?"

Elizabeth giggled. "No, I suppose they don't. Mother also sent a letter asking if we needed 8 or 10 place settings of china."

Jack rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"Don't worry! I'm telling her not to order any."

"Well, there's nowhere to fit this rug in our house. We'd have to knock down a wall between the front room and bedroom, and even then then it will spill out the front door onto porch."

"It's not that big!" Elizabeth exclaimed in defense of her mother's gift.

* * *

It may not have been as large as Jack's exaggerated statement, but it was too big for any room in the house so the couple finally decided to move the rug to the school.

The children loved the thick and colorful rug which was much more intricate than the simple rag rugs and braided rugs that covered the plank wood floors of their homes. Every afternoon before the end of the school day, they would gather on the rug as Elizabeth read to them. At first they had sat politely on the rug, unaccustomed to being so relaxed in a school room, but soon they had begun to stretch out, some laying on their stomachs with their hands propping up their chins, others laying on their backs with their heads resting on their hands as they stared at the ceiling and daydreamed about being one of the characters in the stories which Elizabeth read to them about wondrous places and people.

While the children quickly took to the new tradition of story time on the rug, some of the mothers of Hope Valley were less enthusiastic. One week after the rug arrived, they sat around their quilting circle, and discussed their latest complaint about the town's teacher.

"She needs to stop reading that book. Peter had a nightmare two nights in a row. Yesterday, he thought he saw a tiger on his way from school. He swore he saw it off in the distance."

"Jane thought she heard one growling. She refused to sleep in her own bed."

"Well, someone needs to tell Mrs. Thornton to stop reading those stories! The Jungle Book! I don't even understand half the silly names. Who ever heard of such nonsense?! I'm busy enough without having to deal with children's wild imaginations. "

"I think the animals are supposed to represent various qualities that humans may have and teach a moral", one of the mothers spoke up defending Elizabeth.

"That would explain the spelling list this week. Has anyone seen it yet? Regulation, principle, responsibility, morality, acceptance", Mary's mother remarked.

"They're supposed to be learning reading, writing, and arithmetic so they can get jobs, not laying around on a rug learning about the jungle and silly animals ", another mother retorted as she reached for more thread.

". . . but learning morals and rules also", Mrs. Grady countered quietly under her breath. She hadn't forgotten how Elizabeth had helped her son overcome what she had called "word blindness". If Elizabeth, who had taught Bo how to read using simple cookie dough, wanted to read stories to the children on a rug, Mrs. Grady was not going to disagree.

While Elizabeth was busy using stories to teach students rules of conduct, she was about to learn how hard it was to follow her own set of rules, those given to her by the other Mountie wives. The only rule which Elizabeth had given any considerable thought about was making a warm and cozy home for her and Jack. Oh, poor naïve Elizabeth. That was just the beginning of her lessons **.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Rule Number 4 – How to Be Alone

They had been married for almost five weeks when Elizabeth had her first supper company in their cottage. Jack, proud of his wife and their home, had invited two Mounties, traveling through the area and stopping in town to resupply, for a home-cooked evening meal.

The small cottage only took a minute to straighten up, but Elizabeth fretted about how the place looked. Seeing the men approach as she looked out the window, she quickly turned and surveyed the room one more time. At the last second, she picked up the rag rug which she had been working on for a week and slipped it under couch. Despite her best efforts, the 2 foot by 3 foot rug looked more like an oversized placemat than a floor covering. _Thank goodness Clara can sew_!, she thought as she looked at the pretty curtains hanging over the window.

As the men sat down at the table, Elizabeth thought she saw Jack give a curious look of recognition when he noticed the attractive tablecloth covering the simple wood. He fingered the cotton and lace fabric for a moment before turning his attention to the men. _Of course he would notice that it's actually one of my better shawls!_ _Being married to a Mountie has its downside_ , she thought with exasperation.

Thirty minutes later, as Elizabeth cleared away the dessert dishes, the younger of the Mounties, remarked that after having spent a year in a remote location, he was looking forward to a six month assignment in Ottawa.

"If you're going to Ottawa, you'll be working for Sergeant Aaron Brandeis. He's an excellent man", Jack told him.

"Actually, he'll probably be gone by then. He's quitting the force", Constable Briggs informed Jack.

"What?!", Jack asked incredulously.

"There was that incident with his wife, and he hasn't gotten over it, and her keeping it from him."

"What are you talking about?!" Jack asked again.

The men looked at Jack and then at Elizabeth who had stopped in her tracks and was standing by the sink. Constable Briggs looked back at Jack and quietly remarked, "I don't think I should speak in front of you wife. It may not be appropriate."

Elizabeth was about to protest, when Jack addressed her.

"Elizabeth, would you please excuse us?"

"Jack, Aaron and Doris are my friends too. I'd like to know what is going on".

"Elizabeth, please." Jack interrupted, and ushered her out of the kitchen.

"I'll tell you after I find out what's going on", he said quietly. "Please just leave us alone."

Thirty minutes later Elizabeth was sitting up in bed waiting for Jack when he finally entered the bedroom.

"The men are gone", he said simply as he sat on the edge of the bed and took off his shoes.

He didn't offer any more conversation, and avoided looking at Elizabeth as he concentrated on taking off his socks, and then untucked his shirt and began unbuttoning it.

Elizabeth had only met Doris and Aaron for a few days, but she genuinely cared about them. She would never forget how helpful Doris had been to her and Jack in the past. She also knew that Jack thought that the couple were two of the finest people he had ever met. Jack had known Aaron since his days at the academy and didn't have a bad word to say about the fellow Mountie and friend.

Elizabeth waited for Jack to say something as he lowered his suspenders and took off his shirt. When he remained silent, she finally asked, "What happened with Aaron and Doris?"

"They're going through a rough time. He's quitting the force. She thinks it's her fault. And he blames himself for something that happened. "

"What happened?"

Jack took a deep sigh before speaking.

"Shortly after our wedding, Aaron had to be leave town for a few weeks on assignment. The second night he was gone, a man broke into their home and attacked Doris. She was alone with the two children. . . . She managed to fight him off and get to her gun. She shot the man . . . . . . dead."

"Good Lord!", Elizabeth blurted out, wide eyed and stunned by the news.

"The police quickly determined it was justified; it turns out the man had broken into some other homes the weeks prior. He was already a convict, released from prison earlier this year after serving time. Doris managed to keep her name out of the paper . . .she has an uncle that runs the Ottawa Times. She wouldn't let anyone tell Aaron about it. . . . She said it would just upset him."

"But Jack, he's a Mountie! He's used to criminals."

"She didn't want him to blame himself for being away. . . for not being there to protect her and the children. So she didn't write to him . . . or tell him about it when he returned. . . . She just pretended it never occurred. . . . "

". . . . She killed a man and acted like it never happened", Jack uttered quietly in disbelief.

He bent over and rested his head in hands, still trying to absorb the enormity of the situation before speaking again.

"I asked Constable Briggs if the other Mounties knew about what had happened. He said a couple of them did . . . the police and Mounties work pretty closely in Ottawa,. . . but Doris begged them not to tell Aaron, so they kept their mouths shut. No one sent him a telegram or letter. No one mentioned it when he returned from his assignment. Constable Briggs said that some of the men didn't think it was right to keep it from Aaron, but Doris had been so adamant that he not find out, that they held their tongues."

"How _did_ he find out?", Elizabeth asked.

"Their little boy."

"Samuel?! He's only four!"

"He had a cough that night . . . the night of the attack. . . and Doris had him sleeping in bed with her. I'm not sure how much he saw, but apparently enough. A few nights after Aaron came back, Samuel was afraid to go to sleep and asked Aaron if the bad man was coming back to hurt them. Doris had to tell Aaron what had happened. . . . about the break-in and the shooting, . . . how her family and his co-workers knew what had happened and how they had all been keeping it from him."

"Oh, dear Lord."

"It gets worse", Jack said glumly

"Worse?!"

"The day before Aaron had left, Doris had told him that she thought she was being watched by someone; she was concerned. Aaron told her not to worry . . . . that he'd have the Mounties and police keep an eye on her while he was gone."

"Why didn't they?", Elizabeth asked in surprise.

Jack didn't say anything for a moment but got a pained look on his face.

"Aaron was so busy with work that he forgot. You know how beautiful Doris is, men look at her a lot. He probably just thought it was harmless, and he got busy trying to get things ready before leaving. They were short staffed, he was overworked, and he forgot to say anything to anyone."

"So that's why Doris didn't want Aaron to know. . . not just because he would blame himself for leaving them alone, but because he would never forgive himself for forgetting to tell anyone that she was worried. " Elizabeth said quietly.

Jack nodded.

"He must feel awful. He worships Doris", Elizabeth said, remembering the way Aaron looked at Doris, how the two had danced closely together at Jack and Elizabeth's wedding, how Elizabeth had heard him whispering sweet words in Doris's ear.

"He's quitting the Force so he never has to leave town again. He's decided to go work at her family store."

Jack and Elizabeth, each deep in their own thoughts, didn't say anything more as Jack changed into his sleeping clothes. As he climbed into bed and pulled up the sheets, he looked over at Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth, you would never keep anything like that from me, would you?"

Elizabeth hesitated.

"Would you give up being a Mountie?"

"In a moment, without hesitation."

"Then maybe I would keep it from you", she said slowly without looking him in the eye.

"Elizabeth!"

"Jack, Doris handled it. I know Mounties think that they are invincible, but you aren't the only strong ones. Doris handled it."

"She lied to him!"

"She didn't lie. She just didn't tell him everything. She did it to protect him. I saw them together. I know how much he loves his family. I agree with Doris; Aaron will never forgive himself for forgetting to have the Mounties keep an eye on her. That's a heavy burden for a man to have."

"It doesn't matter how awful he feels! Elizabeth, you can't keep something like that from your husband!'

"Like not telling me that you were almost killed during that counterfeiting incident?" Elizabeth said coldly.

Jack paused for a minute.

"So you heard about that?", he muttered under his breath.

"A long time ago. And I don't appreciate having to hear about it from others. . . but I also understand. I understand why you didn't tell me. And I understand why Doris didn't tell Aaron about the break-in."

"That's different, Elizabeth. I'm a Mountie. Mounties face danger and you know that! I don't expect you to be in danger at home! A wife can't keep something like that from her husband!"

"And a husband can't make a unilateral decision about his future! He can't decide to quit his job and be a storekeeper without her support! She doesn't want to be the reason he gives up his dream."

"You once told me that you had to go to sleep at night knowing that I was safe. I feel the same way about you," Jack argued back.

"Then you need to make sure I'm safe, even when I'm alone. Teach me. Teach me how to shoot a gun."

"No", Jack said emphatically.

"They're dangerous. I don't want you ever to be put in a situation where you would have to use one. I'll keep you safe, and if I can't do that as a Mountie, I won't be a Mountie. End of discussion." Jack said adamantly.

"You _ARE_ teaching me how to shoot a gun. End of discussion", Elizabeth retorted as she lay down.

"I am not."

"Yes, you ARE!"

Jack turned down the light and punched his pillow in frustration; they lay in bed, each quietly fuming.

Finally, Jack muttered, his voice full of resignation, "We don't say 'shoot a gun'; we say 'fire a weapon'. If you're going to learn, you might as well use the correct terms".

Three days later, Elizabeth tenderly touched the bruise on right shoulder as she put on her blouse. She hated everything to do with guns. They had first practiced with a rifle because Jack said it would be good for hunting as well as defense. She tried to follow his instruction that she should slightly round her upper body to help dissipate the force from the recoil, but it didn't help. Every time she pulled the trigger, she felt like she was being punched in the shoulder by a fighter in a boxing ring.

The handgun hadn't been any better. Her shots went everywhere but their intended target, she couldn't keep her hand steady, and she hated the noise.

Once he had resigned himself to teach her, Jack had tried to keep a positive attitude, but after three days, he had to admit that the only way Elizabeth would ever injure a criminal with a gun was if she threw one at him.

Elizabeth looked at Rule Number 4 on the slip of paper; be prepared to be alone. Folding up the paper and returning it to her dresser drawer, she gave a little shrug. _I'll just use a knife if I ever have to defend myself._

The only problem with knives is they don't work from a distance, but that didn't concern Elizabeth. She had more important things to think about; today was the class history test and she was hoping the students would do well.


	3. Chapter 3 - Kerosene, Lye, and Vinegar

Chapter 3–Kerosene, Lye, and Vinegar

Elizabeth sat at her desk looking at her array of students. The usual studious students were busily scribbling their answers to this week's essay question, while the less academic ones were drumming or biting their pencils, twirling their hair, staring off in the distance , or scratching their heads, . . . . anything to fill the time while they struggled to answer the test question.

Elizabeth was perplexed when Miles, one of her better students, kept stopping his writing to scratch his head. In fact, she noticed quite a few students were scratching their heads.

 _It's not that difficult a question_ , she thought in surprise.

The more she watched her students, the more concerned she became. _There's a lot of head scratching going on._

Elizabeth picked up her copy of the test and reread the question. _No, it shouldn't be so hard for them to answer._

Now that she thought about it, she realized that some of the students had been scratching their heads even before the test, . . . when they had been called to the chalkboard, . . . during morning recess, . . . . during math drills.

 _Please no, please no_ , she suddenly thought to herself.

Slowly Elizabeth got up from her desk and began to walk around the room, stopping behind some of the students and studying them. When the children looked at her, she silently motioned them to continue with their work.

As Elizabeth apprehensively moved from student to student, she found herself dreading what she might find. She knew that she needed to find out, but at the same time she didn't want to know. It was like having to drink a nasty tasting medicine that you knew you needed to take, or knowing you needed to pull a splinter from your finger when the thought of the pain of removal was worse than the pain of leaving it in. Sometimes ignoring things was so much better!

One look at Susan's head confirmed her suspicion, and then there was Jacob, . . . and Miles, . . . and Jane, . . . and Mary, . . . and even little Peter.

 _Oh I don't want to know anymore_!, Elizabeth thought as she gave up and moved to the front of the room.

When Jack approached the cottage several hours later, he saw that, even though it wasn't laundry day, their clothesline was full of sheets and clothes swaying in the late afternoon breeze; a basket overflowing with more laundry was on the ground, and a metal tub of water rested on a tree stump which they often used as a table.

"Don't come near me!", Elizabeth ordered from the porch step when she heard his approach and lifted her head from her arms, which were resting on her knees.

Jack couldn't help but give a small smile at her exhausted face, ringed by small curls caused by the heat and moisture from the metal tub, which Elizabeth had been filling with boiling water. The top buttons of her expensive tailored blouse, always buttoned when she taught school, were now undone, exposing her neck, which glistened with perspiration.

Ignoring her command, he removed his hat and took a seat next to her.

"It's okay. I've got a clean bill of health. Abigail already checked me out. "

"How'd you find out?"

"The schoolhouse was empty when I showed up to walk you home. Then I realized that I hadn't seen any children in town on my way from the livery. I stopped by the Café, and Abigail told me. She said you've got a clean bill of health too."

"I know. But, I'm washing our bedsheets and most of our clothes anyway just to be safe", she said in an exhausted voice.

"How many kids?"

"I stopped counting at six and just sent them all home. If one sibling had it, I'm sure the others did too."

Jack gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm surprised it hasn't happened here before. Almost every school has a case of lice at some time or another. We used to see it a lot growing up."

"It's disgusting."

Jack chuckled. "Actually, it's not that bad. It's normal for country kids and inner city kids. You're just used to your fancy private school and drawing room education."

"I like my fancy private school and drawing room education", Elizabeth whined.

Jack picked up one of her hands and held it in his for a moment before he gently brought it to his lips. Her normally pale and perfectly delicate skin was red and raw from scrubbing clothes in the hot water and burning lye soap. This certainly wasn't the life she was used to.

"How'd you get the scratches?", he asked when he saw the long thin lines on her forearms.

"Comet. She was an awful handful getting bathed. She fought me the entire time. It was dreadful, but it had to be done."

Jack gave a soft chuckle. "Actually it didn't. . . . Cats can't get lice from humans."

"You're joking?!", Elizabeth exclaimed with a stunned look.

Jack gave a small shrug and a smile. "Sorry. I thought everyone knew that."

"Well, I didn't", Elizabeth muttered under her breath.

They sat, looking at the clothes blowing in the wind, and then Elizabeth leaned her head on Jack's shoulder and closed her eyes for a minute, enjoying the comfort of him. Despite the fact that there was a mound of laundry to take care off, Jack wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere but here with her, here at their home.

After Jack helped Elizabeth with the remainder of the laundry, they examined their scattered rugs and upholstered furniture. _Thank goodness, there's nothing,_ she sighed with relief.

They weren't so lucky at the school. Elizabeth's stomach turned in disgust when one close inspection of the rug revealed that it was covered in crawling inhabitants and nits. She gave a sigh as Jack picked up the beautiful rug and tossed it into the fire he had built. As Elizabeth watched the beautiful rug go up on flames, she thought of Rule number 6 **:** Don't get attached to material things.

Later that evening, after tucking in the freshly laundered sheet, Elizabeth sat exhausted on the edge of the bed, ready to turn in for the night.

Jack picked up Elizabeth's glass jar of face cream from the top of the dresser and sat down beside her on the bed. Taking one of her hands in his, he held it gently, looking at her reddened and chapped skin. Without saying a word, he slowly began to rub cream into her inflamed hand, using his thumb and fingertips to gently massage it in. After first concentrating on her palm, he slid his fingers along her smallest finger.

She watched as his hands gently kneaded her soreness away before they moved to the ring finger, delicately touching her skin, careful to keep the cream off the small diamond ring. He then turned his attention to her middle finger, moving ever so slowly along the length from the base to the fingertip, switching between tender pressure and barely-there caresses. As she sat there mesmerized, Jack moved on to the next finger.

He didn't say a word the whole time, but slowly massaged each finger as if it were the most important task in his day. It took him several minutes to do the left hand, and by the time he got to her thumb, Elizabeth didn't think she could contain herself any more.

 _Oh my goodness, how can he make a day of dealing with lice turn into something so damn romantic!,_ she thought incredulously.

When he finished with her left hand, Jack moved to the right, never taking his eyes off his task. She stared at him as he concentrated on massaging the cream, first into the palm, and then moving on to the little finger. She realized that even though her heart was beating fast, he was in total control. _He doesn't even realize the effect he's having on me! How in the world does this man manage to seduce me without even trying?!_

Five minutes later, when Jack was done caring for her hands, Elizabeth had a whole new appreciation for the surprising and welcoming unintended consequences of lice, hot water, and lye soap. And Jack. . . . well, Jack was pleasantly surprised by what a little tenderness and attention to his wife's hands resulted in.

* * *

School was closed for two days. Mr. Yost, although sorry for the plight of the children, was pleased with the extra business caused by the lice. He sold more kerosene and vinegar in two days than he usually sold in a month.

The harsher of the mothers opted to use kerosene, and their children bore the ill effects of the abrasive chemical, their red blisters and raw scalps a sign that their mothers meant business against the lice.

Other mothers, too gentle in nature to even consider kerosene or lye, had purchased abundant amounts of oil, vinegar, and eggs, and had smothered their children's heads in homemade mayonnaise.

Every house had a clothesline full of laundry, while pillows and mattresses hung out windows and over front porch railings. A stranger coming to town would have thought Hope Valley was having a sale on bedding.

When school finally reopened, Elizabeth stood at the door and greeted the children as they filed in and took their seats. The boys had freshly shorn hair, and all the girls wore their hair neatly covered in kerchiefs to avoid any possible contact with another child's hair which may contain a louse overlooked by a frazzled mother.

As Elizabeth walked across the bare wooden floor in front of her desk to begin the day's lesson, Peter asked if they were going to get a new story rug.

"I'm not sure. Eventually, we probably will. It was nice, but it's not that important. I'll still read stories to you and we can bring in some smaller rugs.'

Jack never told Elizabeth but he wasn't too disappointed that the rug was gone. Quite a few mothers had approached him and mentioned that their children were talking about strange noises coming from the woods and that Elizabeth's new story time was to blame.

"Ladies, I don't tell Elizabeth how to be a teacher, and she doesn't tell me how to be a Mountie", Jack had patiently explained to several of the mothers when they had cornered him at the Café. He had agreed to persuade their boys to refrain from going into the woods armed with knives and shotguns to look for lions, wolves, and elephants, but he was not going to tell Elizabeth how to do her job.

If the boys had ventured into the woods, they wouldn't have found lions, wolves, or elephants but they may have come across empty tin cans, beer bottles, and other trash left carelessly by the traveler as he quietly watched Elizabeth from the hidden brush at the edge of the woods.

The traveler liked watching her. For two days, he had stayed close to the tree line, hidden from the lumberman, and observed Elizabeth as she walked outside the cottage. He especially liked when Elizabeth wore her hair flowing down her back. As he took another sip of beer, he thought about how much he liked watching her and wondered what she would be like.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Stranger

Chapter 4 – The Stranger

The laundry was heavy and Elizabeth hated the task of lifting the wet fabrics and putting them on the clothesline. _If I keep this up, I'll have arm muscles as big as Jack_ , she told herself as she reached into her pocket and took out a clothespin.

Hanging the sheets was always the worst because one end usually fell in the dirt while she struggled to throw it on the line. She had done three quarters of their linens and clothes earlier in the week, and even though she hadn't seen a single louse or nit, she was determined to clean every fabric in the small cottage . . . twice.

She also needed to wash the blouse and skirt she had worn to school earlier in the day. _Lesson to remember, don't let five year olds carry inkwells_ , she thought ruefully.

Off in the distance, Elizabeth heard the men from the lumber company as they gathered their lunch pails and tools and headed home at the end of their shift. Jack would be home in an hour and she hoped to have the clothes dry by then and already folded. She knew she should have started with the laundry earlier; the sun would be setting soon.

As she pinned Jack's shirt to the line, Elizabeth had a strange sensation that she was being watched.

She looked up, expecting to see one of the lumberjacks straggling behind the others, and was surprised that no one was there.

 _Just my_ _imagination_ , she thought as she watched the lumber company wagons move farther away along the dirt road, and then out of sight.

A little shiver went down her spine and she convinced herself that it was due to the sun getting lower in the sky.

By the time she was pinning up their socks, Elizabeth was certain she was being watched even though she saw nothing out of place when she looked around. If she had been asked, she wouldn't have been able to explain what was making her feel uneasy. All she knew was that something wasn't right.

Dumping out the tub of dirty wash water on to the ground, she scanned the woods a final time.

Seeing nothing, Elizabeth grabbed her basket and quickly went inside. As she turned to close the door behind her, Comet squeezed in the opening and meowed loudly to be fed.

 _I'm such a ninny. It was probably nothing,_ she thought as she set down the basket and picked up Comet, carrying the kitten into the kitchen.

Elizabeth was grateful that Comet hadn't brought anything into the house this time. After Jack and Elizabeth had moved into the cottage, the kitten had quickly gotten rid of all the mice inside the home. Unfortunately, Comet now had a bad habit of catching rodents outside and bringing them in as wedding gifts for the newlyweds.

Pouring a glass of water for herself and setting down bowls of food and water for Comet, Elizabeth glanced out the window.

 _Nothing. There's nothing out there_. _I'm just being a silly goose_ , she tried to convince herself.

The creaking sound coming from the front porch made her jump.

She knew instantly that it wasn't Jack. She would have seen him out the window, or he would have walked quickly across the porch and opened the door. Whoever was on the front porch was lingering outside the door.

With a start, she realized that she hadn't locked the front door when she had carried in the basket. It was too late now; she didn't dare go near it.

Elizabeth scurried down the short hallway to the bedroom, and headed straight for the closet. Pushing aside the hanging clothes, she grabbed the shotgun before hurrying to the dresser. She quickly pulled open Jack's drawer and rummaged through his garments until she found the box of shells. Her fingers fumbled to open the box, and she dropped several shells on the floor before she managed to load the gun.

She hated the gun, but right now she didn't feel like she had a choice. _I don't have to actually use it. I just have to scare someone with it,_ she thought, trying to calm herself _._

The bedroom door didn't have a lock and the only furniture in the room was the bed, the heavy wooden dresser, and the small nightstands.

With a desperate look around, she realized that she wouldn't be able move the dresser and the bed by herself; the nightstands, if pushed against the door, wouldn't keep out anyone who wanted in.

 _This is my home. I've prepared myself to be alone_ , she told herself over and over again, trying to steel herself for the intruder.

 _Oh, who am I kidding?! I'm not brave! I'm scared silly_.

Elizabeth realized that she hadn't heard anything since the creak on the front porch. She took a deep breath and again tried to calm herself. " _Stop whining_! _Jack's counting on you to be strong_ ", she told herself. " _You can do this_."

Gingerly, she tiptoed to the bedroom door, and peeked outside. When she didn't see anyone, she decided she might be able to get to the front door and lock it before anyone entered. It was worth a try. As far as she knew, the stranger was still lingering on the small front porch.

Elizabeth was halfway across the front room when she saw the door slowly open, allowing in a thin beam of the late afternoon sun . . . and the long shadow of a figure to appear on the floor.

Hurriedly, Elizabeth changed directions and wildly ran into the nearby kitchen, knocking over a mop which had been leaning against the wall.

Elizabeth, her breath rapid with anxiety, moved swiftly to the far side of the simple wooden table and stood there, her body nervously shaking as she considered her options: the gun in her hands or the butcher knife on the counter.

 _Where's a Mountie when you need one?_!, she thought desperately.

Despite knowing with almost certainty that there was an intruder in the house, Elizabeth was still taken by surprise when they came face to face. Shocked by his appearance in her kitchen doorway, she dropped the shotgun and it landed with a thud at her feet.

She didn't dare take her eyes off the stranger as she now reached blindly for the knife on the counter.

"Get out!", she yelled at him as he walked towards her.

He stopped for a moment, blocking her escape from the room, while he seemed to contemplate her words and the knife now in her hand.

"Get out of here! Go! Now!", she yelled again, but her voice trembled with nervousness.

He didn't utter a sound, but looked around the room and then focused again on her, sensing that they were alone in the house, except for Comet, who was staring curiously at the stranger from the couch.

"I don't have anything for you. Please leave", she pleaded, when he stared up at her.

Instead of leaving, he continued to make his way across the room, ignoring her plea.

Elizabeth watched as his feet left grime on the kitchen floor which she had cleaned just hours earlier. It was foolish to care about something as insignificant as her floor, but her mind preferred to focus on dirty footprints rather than the unpleasant possibilities of what the intruder might do to her.

The stranger stopped when he got to the kitchen table. With dirty hands, he picked up the glass of water and took a thirsty gulp, emptying the contents.

Elizabeth watched, now barely daring to breath, as the stranger clumsily set the glass back on the table and wiped away the drips of water from the stubble on his chin.

She could smell his stench despite the fact that they were three feet apart. It was obvious from his filthy clothes that the woods had been his home for some time.

The stranger sniffed the air and smelled it; her perfume. He hated the smell of cheap perfume and the garish women who wore it, but this was different. This woman's perfume wasn't cheap or overpowering; it was faint, like a delicate flower from a fruit tree, he thought to himself.

He stared at Elizabeth, drawn to her long beautiful hair.

When he took a step towards her, Elizabeth backed up. The edge of the kitchen counter pressed deep into the small of her back as tried to get as far away from him as possible, but there was nowhere for her to go.

The knife was useless in her hand. The intruder had no fear of it, and she knew that she would never use it.

Elizabeth cringed when the he reached out his hand to touch her.

The intruder greedily stared at the expensive silver and pearl drops dangling from her earlobes as he possessively fingered them.

Elizabeth winced when he yanked one of jewels out of her ear and confidently placed it in his shirt pocket.

"Please don't hurt me", she whimpered.

Elizabeth struggled to decide if the smile he gave her was menacing or friendly.

For some inexplicable reason she thought about Rule number 2: Learn to make friends **.**

She had a feeling this wasn't what the Mountie wives had in mind.

Two more things crossed Elizabeth's mind as she stood there looking at the intruder's yellowed toothy smile: she desperately hoped that he wouldn't bite her and, without a doubt, this was the strangest situation she had ever been in.


	5. Chapter 5- Hurrying Home

Chapter 5 – Hurrying Home

Jack hurried home, concerned with what the men walking out of the saloon had told him. It had started out as a snippet of conversation that he had overhead as he had passed the men on the sidewalk.

Normally, hearing of animal bones in the woods wouldn't have caught his attention, but finding fresh kill so close to active tree cutting sites was unusual. When Jack stopped and questioned the men, he became unsettled by what they told him.

What the men told Jack didn't make sense. While clearing some trees outside of town, they had come across a large deer carcass that looked like it had been dragged across the forest ground into an open area.

Although the lumberjacks had assumed the deer was the victim of a mountain lion, Jack had been living and working in the outdoors long enough to know that mountain lions don't leave the carcasses of their prey out in the open; their natural inclination was to hide their kill and return for several days to feed.

He also knew that the large cats were shy of people and tended to stay far away from human activity. The killer responsible for the carcass hadn't hidden it and wasn't afraid of being near the lumberjacks.

That's what worried Jack the most; the killer wasn't acting like a wild animal.

The killer also wasn't acting like the typical hunter; no rational hunter would leave his kill on the forest ground to spoil instead of taking it home.

Jack thought back over recent events. Odd things had been occurring and he was now starting to wonder if they were somehow connected.

It has started with the overactive imaginations of the students thinking something was in the woods.

Even Elizabeth had thought she had seen a glimpse of an animal with orange and black stripes in the woods; Jack had laughed and told her it was just the clothing of lumberjacks or settlers. He had even teased her that the stories she had been reading were starting to make her imagination work overtime.

"I suppose it could have been someone wearing a bold shirt", Elizabeth had said pensively. "Yes, you're probably right. There were a lot of bushes and trees in the way and I only got a glimpse."

"Of course I'm right", Jack had said with a smile and he reached his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck.

"But usually the men work in teams; there was no one else around", Elizabeth had added before being distracted from her thoughts by the feel of Jack's lips on the bare skin of her neck.

Jack's kisses had quickly put an end to the conversation and had started something entirely different.

By the time they were finished in the bedroom, Jack had all but forgotten about Elizabeth telling him she had seen something, or someone, in the woods.

With a frown Jack now remembered that he had barely glanced up from his papers at breakfast earlier that morning when Elizabeth, coming in from the using the outhouse, had told him that she had heard a loud and unusual screeching sound coming from the woods; he had simply remarked that it was probably the lumber machinery needing an oil, and continued reading.

"I heard it last evening too, when I was outside calling in Rip, and you had nodded off on the couch", Elizabeth had remarked, skeptical of Jack's explanation.

"So?"

"So, the machinery wouldn't have been going then. It was after the work day."

"Okay, I'll ask Lee when I get to town. Maybe, he'll have an explanation", Jack had said unconcernedly. He knew that Elizabeth was still new to living this far from town; and never having lived outside of a town or city before, she was bound to be unfamiliar with some sights and sounds of the woods.

Still, Jack had asked Lee about it later. But Lee didn't have an explanation and neither man thought a screeching sound from the woods was anything to be concerned about. It was probably just a bird, or maybe one of the settlers badly playing a fiddle, Lee had laughed.

Jack now regretted that he hadn't taken the time to go outside and listen for the sound himself.

Touching his jaw, he remembered the lumberjack fistfight he had to break up earlier in the week when one man accused another of stealing his lunch from a worksite. The accused man had repeatedly proclaimed his innocence while trading punches with his accuser and fighting off Jack.

Jack had assumed that one of the lumberjacks had simply taken another's pail by mistake, or that the lumberjack had forgotten where he left his pail while trudging through the woods moving from tree to tree.

But then it had happened twice more. . . two more lunch pails had been stolen.

Now, for the first time, Jack wondered if maybe someone other than a lumberjack had taken the lunches.

And yesterday, Tom from the Saloon had reported that someone had snuck up and stolen four bottles from a case of beer in the back of his wagon when he had stopped by the river near the woods to do some fishing.

Something unusual was going on, and much of it was centered on the area near the woods.

The woods near the cottage.

The cottage where Elizabeth was alone.

Jack thought back to when he had first taken Elizabeth to look at the cottage, and she had seen the rundown building, the small plot of grass in front and on one side, and the dense forest running along the back and the other side, no more than 75 feet from the cottage.

"It's a little far from everything, isn't it?", Elizabeth had remarked as she had looked down the dirt road towards town.

"I like that. We need privacy. Whenever we're in town, we can't go two steps without running into one of your students, or a parent asking you a question about school, or someone stopping to complain to me about a neighbor or wanting me to investigate something."

"You're right", Elizabeth had said with a sweet smile, as she had looked affectionately at her new husband.

Ruefully, Jack now wished that he had Rip stay at the cottage when Elizabeth was there. Rip had never proven to be much of a guard dog, but even a lazy basset hound seemed better than nothing.

Jack's mind flashed back to an earlier time when Elizabeth had been in danger. He recalled the terrified look on her face when he had found her, lying on the ground and cowering in fear while Mr. Spurlock pointed a gun at her. Without hesitation, she had jumped into the safety of Jack's arms that day. _I was there to protect her_ , he remembered.

His mind quickly went to the second time he had found Elizabeth being held at gunpoint. She had been better that time, less fearful. She had even had the wherewithal to tell him how many members of the Tolliver gang were holed up in the cabin, and to warn him that Nate Tolliver had a knife. Jack remembered holding her in his arms when it was over. _I was there to protect her,_ he thought again _._

Jack was practical; he knew that it didn't matter how long Elizabeth had been teaching in Hope Valley; she was a lady unaccustomed to many of life's harsh realities.

Elizabeth had grown up without manual labor and the physical strength that came with it. Her mansion in Hamilton, with its manicured lawn, long driveway, and cultivated flower garden, was hardly a place where she would have encountered the dangers of a homeless tramp. And Jack rightly assumed that her high society galas and tea parties weren't the customary scenes of barroom brawls and con artists.

As Jack got farther from town and closer to the cottage, he couldn't stop thinking of their friend, Doris, confronting an intruder. As gentle and sweet as Doris was, Jack knew she had grown up in a more practical way than Elizabeth had; there was no question that Doris was better equipped than Elizabeth to handle a bad situation.

 _Did I make the same mistake as Aaron? Did I overlook something? Have I allowed Elizabeth to be in danger? Didn't I learn anything from what happened to Doris and Aaron?!_ These thoughts invaded his mind, as the trip to the cottage seemed to take longer than usual.

Jack knew that the dense woods would make an excellent hiding place for someone who didn't want to be found. Despite the lumberjacks and settlers in the area, there were vast expanses of untouched forest, and even a few caves that would provide shelter. The river provided fresh water, and there were enough plants and animals for a plentiful food supply, even without having to steal lunch pails and beer.

 _Please protect Elizabeth_ , Jack prayed as he hurried down the empty road. _She can't do it herself_.

He instantly regretted not making Elizabeth practice firing a weapon more. He had left the shotgun in the closet, but he wasn't sure she would use it if necessary.

 _She only has to scare someone away_ , _she doesn't have to hit anyone_ , he thought as he remembered her terrible aim and her dislike of the weapon.

As the cottage came into view, nothing seemed amiss to Jack. A curl of smoke rose out of the rooftop metal pipe, letting Jack know that Elizabeth had started making supper.

Even from a distance, he could see the clothesline with large white bed sheets swaying in the evening breeze. He noticed the metal washing tub was beside the line, and the washboard leaned against the tree stump. Nothing looked out of place.

He had hoped that Elizabeth would be outside, waiting for him on the front porch, or tending to the laundry, but she was nowhere in sight.

Jack looked at the quiet cottage in the setting sunlight, the laundry on the line.

The laundry.

She should have been taken it in by now.

Elizabeth wouldn't have left in on the line this late in the day.

Jack's heart began to race as panic set in.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Visitors

**Dear Readers, Thank you so much for submitting reviews. If you aren't logged in as a member for fanfiction, I can't respond to you personally, but please know that I really appreciate your kind words and that you let me know which parts of my writing (humor, action, dialogue, romance) you like best!** **This chapter's got some humor.**

Chapter 6 - The Visitors

Rushing up the steps two at a time, and barreling through the door into the cottage, Jack stopped and took a deep breath of relief when he saw her.

She was in the kitchen, standing by the stove, and singing a song as she finished preparing supper.

Jack started to speak, but when Elizabeth turned to look at him, she fleetingly glanced towards the table before looking back at Jack.

Jack quickly looked to his left and stopped speaking in mid-sentence when he saw the figure at the table. Jack stood there, unmoving, trying to understand what he was seeing.

Finally, he turned and looked at Elizabeth, who was smiling at him.

"What in God's name is a monkey doing eating pie at our kitchen table?" he exclaimed.

"We didn't have any bananas!", Elizabeth giggled as she looked at the expression on Jack's face.

Jack gave Elizabeth one of those looks.

Sometimes she gave her a look like he was disappointed or frustrated with her; she didn't like that look.

But sometimes he looked at her like he was looking at her now, like he was disbelief. She had to admit she always got a kick out of that look.

Jack shook his head as if to clear it of the vision of the animal in his kitchen, sitting in his chair, eating his dessert. . . wearing a cloth napkin around his neck. But it was still there.

"How in the world did you get an animal from your jungle storybook to come to life", Jack asked in bewilderment.

Elizabeth couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for Jack. He was looking at her with a mixture of awe and a touch of fear that she had actually managed to make her stories come to life.

She also couldn't help but giggle as she took his hat from him and gently pushed him into a chair.

As she handed Jack a glass of water, she explained that the animal, whose name was Bobo, had frightened her at first until she discovered that he was very friendly. He had been filthy when he arrived so she had taken his clothes and washed them, and taken a wet cloth and soap to him also.

Looking around, Jack noticed the small sized pants and shirt hanging by the stove where they could quickly dry.

"His name and the name of the circus are stitched on his shirt. I'm not sure if he's a monkey or a chimpanzee. I know there's a difference but I can't remember which is which", she said as she put a bowl of food in front of Jack and then got one for herself before she sat down next to him.

Jack sat there, not making a move to eat, but looking at the animal across from him.

"I think it's a chimpanzee . . . they're bigger than monkeys", Jack said slowly in a daze.

"Jack, wash up and then eat your supper", Elizabeth encouraged.

"He's already eaten his", she explained pleasantly when she saw Jack stare at his food and then look at Bobo, who was stuffing pie in his mouth.

Jack just looked at Elizabeth and shook his head in incredulity.

"You let a chimpanzee in our house?!"

"Well, not at first. He came in on his own. But I traded him an apple to get my earring back, and he seemed so friendly and hungry that I decided to give him some supper."

"You traded him an apple for your earring?" The confusion was evident in Jack's voice.

"Well, it was an expensive earring. I wasn't going to let him keep it!"

Jack didn't know how to respond to that, so he just sat there stunned while Elizabeth told him how she thought Bobo had being living in the woods and watching her.

"He's probably been the one stealing the lumberjacks' food", he remarked, suddenly thinking about the fistfight over stolen lunches which he had broken up earlier.

"You see. He was hungry. Poor thing. I'm sure he didn't understand that stealing is bad."

Jack raised his eyebrows and stared at Elizabeth in amazement at her thought process. _There's a chimpanzee in our kitchen and her biggest concern is that I don't arrest it for stealing lunch pails!_

Finally, Jack spoke up. "A circus? You said the name of the circus is on his clothes? Remember our wedding announcement? It was on the same page as the advertisement for a traveling circus."

"I know. I already checked the paper."

Elizabeth reached for her journal and pulled out the newspaper clipping of their wedding announcement which she had kept tucked away between the pages, handing it to Jack.

"See. It's the same circus as the one stitched on his clothes. I think maybe he got lost or ran away from the circus when it was traveling by train to its next destination. The advertisement mentions that the circus was going to be in several cities."

Jack just sat there thinking.

"The strange screeching noise you heard, . . . the stolen lunch pails and bottles of beer. . . It was all this chimpanzee", he finally said.

"His shirt did smell like beer. I did think that was rather odd", Elizabeth said nonchalantly as she picked up the napkin Bobo had taken off and dropped and handed it back to him.

. . . . but the deer carcass, the students hearing growling coming from the woods, the black and orange stripes you saw? . . . . .

. . . . . A circus would have a tiger", Jack said slowly.

: . . . if a chimp could escape from the circus train, so could a tiger", Jack said, answering his own question.

"Uh-huh, you're right", Elizabeth agreed pleasantly as she took a spoonful of stew.

"So maybe it wasn't just imagination. Maybe there's really a tiger in the woods. . . . That's what killed the deer the lumber men saw", Jack said as realization washed over him.

"So you believe me now? About seeing something?"

"Yes. Of course. This is incredible." Jack slumped back in his chair in bewilderment.

"I'll go into town and send a telegram to the circus owners letting them know we have BoBo and hopefully they'll give me instructions on how to trap the tiger."

"Oh, you don't need instructions on how to trap the tiger", Elizabeth said as she began to butter a slice of bread for Jack, who was still stunned by the unfolding events.

"Why in the world not?!"

"She's asleep in our bed." Elizabeth answered casually as she handed the slice of buttered bread to Jack.

That's when Jack gave her that look again; the one she always got a kick out of.

* * *

Jack insisted that the tiger remain closed up in the bedroom and that Elizabeth accompany him to town to send the telegram, even after Elizabeth explained that Sally, whose name was written on her collar, was not a danger.

"Jack, she's so sweet. You should have seen her licking Comet, cleaning her fur."

"She wasn't cleaning Comet's fur, she was tasting her!", Jack exclaimed.

"Don't be silly, Jack. She's nice. She wanted me to pet her. She was rubbing her head and the side of her chin on my leg."

Jack looked at his precious naïve wife and tried not to lose his patience when he explained, "She was marking you as her property, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth's explanation that Sally was old and missing several of her teeth, and that it looked like she had been de-clawed, did nothing to appease Jack. Especially when he thought about the deer which he suspected Sally had taken down.

"But Jack, She's tame. She was playing with Comet."

"Animals play with their food, Elizabeth", Jack said in exasperation. "You've seen how Comet plays with mice she's caught!"

Despite Elizabeth's protests, Jack insisted that they spend the night in town. As much as he didn't want to go back to sleeping in two beds pushed together above the Café, Jack liked the idea of sleeping in the same cottage as a tiger even less.

"We are not sleeping in the same home as a tiger!" he exclaimed to Elizabeth when she suggested they simply sleep in the front room.

"Jack, this is our home, and she is safely away in our bedroom. We can move some furniture in front of the door to keep her in there if you want."

"Get you coat. We're leaving," he ordered her.

"No, Jack. I want to stay. I've had a long day at school, I'm tired, and I want to sleep in our home. I still have to take in the laundry."

"You can take in the laundry tomorrow", he said, ignoring her desire to stay in the home which she was trying so hard to make warm and cozy.

You haven't even eaten your supper yet", Elizabeth protested.

"I can eat at the Saloon or Abigail's! For Pete's sake, Elizabeth!"

"Jack –"

"We are leaving. End of discussion", Jack said sternly.

"We are NOT leaving. End of discussion."

"You promised to obey me. Now start obeying!", Jack said harshly as he went to get Elizabeth's coat from the coat hook by the front door.

"No, I did not!", she yelled after him.

Jack stopped in his tracks and turned slowly to look at Elizabeth.

"What did you just say?", he asked, surprised by her comment.

"I didn't promise to obey you", she said, a little less forcefully when she saw the frustration and confusion on Jack's face.

"Elizabeth, when we got married, you promised to obey me. It was part of our vows", Jack explained as he stared at her.

When Elizabeth looked down at the floor and avoided his gaze, Jack questioned her again.

"Didn't you?", he asked in disbelief.

Elizabeth took a big breath before speaking.

"Jack, if you hadn't been looking at me with so much love, . . . . which I really appreciated and thought was very sweet . . . .you would have noticed that I didn't promise to obey you. I had the justice of the peace take that part out."

"You what?", Jack said stunned.

"We love each other. We're a team. We don't need to obey each other. We just need to agree. So, I agree that we're going to town for the night. It was a very good idea, Jack. Let me get my coat."

Elizabeth smiled at Jack as she realized that it was probably just best to agree with him at this point.

As Jack stood there in the doorway flabbergasted over everything that had occurred, Elizabeth started to move past him.

Then she did what Jack couldn't resist.

She gave him that look.

That look that said her heart belonged to him forever, no matter what; no matter about family expectations . . . or social standings . . . or the dangers of his job . . . or left-out marriage vows . . . or even wild animals in their cottage. She was his forever.

Jack remembered that just a short while ago, he had been petrified that she was in danger.

Without any more hesitation, he reached out and cupped her face with his hands and gently pressed his lips to hers. _Heaven help me, I love this woman_ , he thought as his kiss turned from tender to passionate.

He forgot about everything but her lips, the faint smell of her perfume, her arms now holding him tight, the way she made him feel when she pressed her body against him, the way she made him feel just thinking about her.

The sound of Bobo loudly chattering and banging the empty tin pie pan on the table finally caused them to separate.

"Damn monkey", Jack muttered.

"Chimpanzee", Elizabeth corrected him with a smile.

"Besides, we can't use the bedroom now anyway", she added.

"That hasn't stopped us before", he reminded her, causing her to blush as she moved away.

* * *

As Jack locked the front door of the cottage, Elizabeth took Bobo, now dressed in his clean clothes, by the hand. Comet, who had always preferred Jack over Elizabeth, now even more after Elizabeth had given her a lye bath, meowed incessantly and weaved between Jack's legs until he had picked her up and carried her with them.

Walking into town, Elizabeth explained to Jack that Bobo and Sally appeared to be very close friends, "I hope Sally won't be lonely in the cottage by herself."

Jack looked at her with bewilderment.

"My life is a circus", he muttered as he allowed Bobo to take his hand, while Comet snuggled in his other arm.

Word spread quickly in town and the children crowded the jail to see Bobo, who Jack had locked in one of the cells. Comet ran back and forth between the cell bars, undecided between climbing on Rip, who remained relaxing in the corner, and allowing herself to be pet by Bobo, who had taken a liking to the bundle of fur.

"I'm running a zoo", Jack remarked with a slight shake of his head, but even he smiled as the children gleefully watched Bobo bounce on the jailhouse cot while pulling the blanket over his head.

* * *

That night, as Jack and Elizabeth pushed together the single beds above the Café, Jack sat on the side of one bed and dolefully remarked, "I certainly didn't think we'd be back here so soon after moving into our cottage. I miss you already."

Elizabeth laughed. "I'll be right here next to you."

Jack raised his eyebrows and frowned. "That's not what I meant."

"Oh. . . well, yes, there's that. . . but Jack. . . "

"I know. I know. Thin walls", he sighed as he climbed into bed.

Married life was certainly different than he had expected. _Apparently my marriage vows weren't even what I expecte_ d, he thought wryly.

Jack lightly punched a pillow in frustration. Right now he wanted to be in his own home, making love to his wife.

He wished he had agreed with Elizabeth and stayed at the cottage.

 _She was right; the front room wouldn't have been so bad_ , he thought with a sigh.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Bedroom

Chapter 7 – The Bedroom

The next afternoon, several workers from the circus arrived with an open back truck bringing two cages for Bobo and Sally. When Bobo glimpsed the woman get down from the cab of the truck, he released his hold on Elizabeth's hand and scampered on his feet and knuckles, hurling himself into the woman's arms and happily hooting when she picked him up.

"Bobo can be shy, but he feels very comfortable around woman because his trainer is a woman. I appreciate you taking such good care of the two of them and giving them food and a warm place to stay," the driver remarked to Elizabeth after introductions were made.

"Sally's been raised by hand since she was a cub, and, as you probably noticed, she's very tame. As long as she's not hungry", he added.

Jack looked skeptically at the man when he described Sally as tame and replied, "Well, I suspect she was hungry and took down a deer in the forest."

"Did she really? Good for her. She's old and slow, but I guess that she's still got a little wild animal instinct in her", the driver said, looking at Sally with renewed admiration.

Jack, satisfied that the driver had confirmed his belief that Sally could be dangerous, raised his eyebrows and looked to Elizabeth for her acknowledgement.

"Yes, Jack. You were right. I promise to listen to you next time we come across wild jungle animals", she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

For the next hour, the circus workers enthralled the school children with stories of the animals. Elizabeth wondered how she'd ever get the students to sit still and learn math after the excitement, and anxious mothers hung onto their children and fretted that their sons and daughters would be enticed to run off and join the circus.

Finally, the animals were loaded up in the wagons to begin their journey to the nearest train station. Before leaving, the circus workers insisted on giving Elizabeth a small reward, which she promptly gave to Jack. _It's the least I can do. The poor man. He still seems to be somewhat amazed by the whole thing, s_ he thought with a smile.

As the children ran down the road after the truck, waving goodbye to the animals, Jack looked at his wife.

Not for the first time, he thought that life with Elizabeth was like rain on a summer day. The kind of day when the sun was warm and everything was so peaceful that he couldn't imagine a more wonderful day, and then suddenly a short cloud burst would come down, but instead of ruining the day, the rain was refreshing. So refreshing that it made the day even more beautiful and everything glistened with warm rain drops, and the birds started singing. The kind of invigorating rain that made him raise his hands in the air and feel the rain drops on his face.

That was his life with Elizabeth. Just when he thought it was good, she surprised him and made it even better.

* * *

When she got home from school, Elizabeth found herself washing the bed sheets for the third time in a week. This time it wasn't the possibility of lice but the idea that a tiger with dirty paws and a drooling mouth had slept in their bed last night.

 _I've changed the sheets so many times, I feel like a chambermaid at a hotel,_ she thought ruefully.

While one set of sheets hung on the line, Elizabeth took the spare set which she had washed the day before and began to make the bed. She was tucking in the sheet when Jack came in the bedroom, home earlier than usual from work.

"You don't need to do that", he remarked when he saw her.

"Why not?"

Jack didn't answer. He simply took off his jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Oh my", Elizabeth exclaimed quietly.

Jack smiled at her as he lowered his suspenders off his shoulders, and then pulled off his shirt, dropping it to the floor.

It quickly became apparent to Elizabeth as to why Jack had come home an hour early from work; he wanted her.

Crossing his arms, Jack took hold of his undershirt and lifted it over his head, letting it land on top of his discarded shirt, and revealing his muscled abdomen.

The maneuver had messed up his hair, causing some to fall onto his forehead. When he lifted his arm to casually push back his hair, Elizabeth couldn't help but notice how strong his naked shoulders and arms looked.

"Oh my", Elizabeth remarked again.

She stood there, looking at his toned bare chest, his body sculpted by years of hard work and exercise.

"I'm going to take off the rest of my clothes and get into that bed, Elizabeth. Are you planning on joining me or just standing there?", Jack asked with a chuckle.

Elizabeth gulped. As many times as they had been together since their wedding night, he still managed to make her heart race even before he touched her.

Jack didn't need to bother asking, she was definitely planning on joining him in bed.

* * *

That evening, after dinner, Jack opened up his saddle bag and took out a lockset he had purchased at the Mercantile.

"I'm putting this on the bedroom door. And tomorrow, I'm going to make a set of indoor shutters for the bedroom window. When you're here alone overnight, I want you to lock the front door, lock the bedroom door, and close and bolt the shutters so no one can break in. Okay?"

"That's a wonderful idea", Elizabeth said casually as she washed the dishes. She turned to give him a smile, "Thank you, Jack. You're a wonderful husband."

At night, after Jack climbed into bed and turned down the lantern, Elizabeth turned onto her stomach, resting on her elbows and forearms as she looked at Jack in the moonlight streaming in the window.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Do Mounties ever get scared?"

"Sometimes. Why do you ask?"

Elizabeth hesitated before making a quiet confession.

"I know this whole thing with Bobo and Sally was an adventure. But . . . before I knew it was Bobo . . . when I thought the intruder was a man . . . I was scared . . . really scared".

"Come here", Jack said tenderly.

Jack reached over and gently pulled Elizabeth to him.

"I had a feeling you may have been scared." Jack wrapped his arms around her, instantly making her feel safe.

"How'd you guess?"

Jack tried to keep the laughter out of his voice, but he couldn't entirely remain serious. "You put the shells in the shotgun backwards."

"I know I'm supposed to be brave. I'm sorry", she said sadly as she lay her head on his chest.

"Why are you sorry?", Jack asked, confusion in his voice.

"You should be married to someone who can handle themselves under any circumstance. . .someone like . . .like . . . . Rosemary. I remember watching her target practice", Elizabeth said ruefully.

Jack chuckled. "I'd rather be married to Sally than Rosemary."

"I'm serious, Jack. What kind of wife am I going to be if I can't be alone?"

"You're already the perfect wife for me, trouble and all", he said as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "But I would feel more comfortable if you were better at firing a weapon. This weekend, we'll practice some more. "

The two lay silently wrapped in each other's arms. Despite how yesterday had turned out, they both knew it could have been much worse.

When Jack spoke again, his voice was low and sincere.

"I'm glad you told me. . . . about being scared", he said quietly.

"Me too", Elizabeth agreed softly as the subtle rise and fall of Jack's chest against her cheek lulled her to sleep.

"I was really worried about you", Jack said, barely above a whisper, but by then Elizabeth was already asleep.

When the noise of the rain hitting the roof woke her an hour later, Elizabeth realized she was still lying on Jack's chest. _This can't be comfortable for him_ , she thought.

Slowly she eased herself off his body and turned on her side. Before she had a chance to close her eyes, Jack turned onto his side and sleepily placed his hand lightly on her waist, holding her gently.

Jack had realized weeks ago that he slept best when a part of him was touching his wife, knowing she was safe.

* * *

A week later, at the end of the school day as the children were gathering up their books, they looked up in surprise when Jack walked in the school carrying a large rug over his shoulder.

He had noticed how much Elizabeth and the children had missed the relaxed atmosphere of story time. This rug wasn't as expensive as the previous one, and it came from a factory in Ottawa rather than a shop on a bustling street in Persia, but it was still comfortable. And since everyone agreed that Elizabeth couldn't actually make stories come to life, the mothers all agreed that they wouldn't object if she continued with story time.

"I thought it was a fitting way to spend the reward money", Jack told her with a smile as he put the rug down on the floor.

On the walk home from school, Jack explained that he was expecting some more Mounties in the area sometime in the next few days. While in town, he had received a telegram regarding a series of thefts in Toronto and Hamilton with a connection to a murder in Ottawa.

"The Mounties are tracking down leads that some of the possible culprits may have moved further west. They'll probably stop by Hope Valley to resupply and check in with me.

"Do you want to invite them for dinner?", Elizabeth asked, remembering the last Mounties that had come through town.

"If it's okay with you. I know it's extra work for you, but Mounties always appreciate some home cooked meals."

"It's no trouble at all", Elizabeth said. _What in the world? How often am I going to have to entertain? I can barely cook a decent meal for the two of us_!, she thought to herself as she gave Jack a pleasant smile.

That night, as she lay in Jack's arms, listening to him breathing, Elizabeth thought about married life, and about the Mounties coming to town. She was determined to make a good meal for them.

 _Maybe rabbit stew, Jack always likes that. . . Or maybe I'll have Abigail help me make a nice chicken pot pie._

 _It must be hard being a Mountie. I know that Jack once said that Mounties shouldn't get married, but honestly, I love being married to one, and Jack loves being married to me. He gets a nice home, and meals, and clean laundry, and someone to love and keep him company._

 _Why, if I were in charge of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, I would issue a wife to every Mountie!_

Elizabeth wouldn't have thought about issuing a wife to every Mountie if she knew how some Mounties felt about women. In fact, she quickly discovered that Bobo and Sally were more pleasant guests than one of the Mounties.

Some Mounties simply don't care for wives . . . not just for themselves, but for any Mountie..


	8. Chapter 8 - Married Mounties

**Dear Readers, a recent reviewer mentioned that she would like me to write longer chapters, so I made this one much longer than the last one! I hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 8 – Married Mounties

Elizabeth was leaving the mercantile, her arm loaded down with a basket of supplies, her mind thinking about school lessons, when she almost bumped into Jack as he walked by the building on his way to the jail.

"Elizabeth, is it my imagination or did Mary Alice's mother just give you a dirty look as she passed you?", Jack asked when they moved away from the building.

"It wasn't your imagination. She did," Elizabeth said with a sigh as they walked together.

"I thought she liked you. What did you do now?"

"Jack Thornton! What makes you think I did something?", Elizabeth stopped walking and stared at Jack.

Instead of verbally responding, Jack looked at his wife with raised eyebrows.

"Fine. If you must know, she liked me until I started reading "Around the World in 80 days" to the students and then I was telling them about Nellie Bly and her trip around the world, but honestly, Jack, these boys and girls need to know about the world and the possibilities out there!"

"And?"

Elizabeth hesitated a moment and started walking again before responding, "And now Mary Alice wants to leave Hope Valley and travel the world like Nellie Bly."

"That would also explain the boys I saw trying to buy stagecoach tickets. Perhaps the parents would be happy if you tried another story, Elizabeth", Jack said with one of his charming smiles as he tipped his hat to her and headed into the jail.

Elizabeth sighed again as she thought about her teaching.

More than once, some of the parents had questioned her teaching methods and if she fully understood the realities of her students' lives.

Bo's father hadn't believed that Bo belonged in school because of his word blindness. Wyatt's mother hadn't wanted Elizabeth to fill his head with dreams of college because his family needed his income from the mines. And Laura's father didn't think that Elizabeth could relate to the "working" class. He had actually accused her of not understanding what life was like for people who "work for a living", as if she wasn't working!

It seemed as if the students were happy with Elizabeth, the parents weren't. And if the parents were happy with Elizabeth, the students weren't. _I just can't please everyone!_

 _I shouldn't have to change the way I teach, or do things differently just to please someone else, or pretend to be someone I'm not,_ she contemplated as she headed home.

* * *

When Jack came home two hours later, Elizabeth was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. She looked at him questioningly when he handed her a letter, but he shrugged. "It's addressed to you. I don't know who it's from. The postmark is Ottawa."

Elizabeth wiped her hands on her apron, and sat down at the kitchen table. Using the sharp edge of a knife, she sliced open the envelope, while Jack busied himself taking off his jacket and getting a glass of milk from the icebox, almost tripping over Comet, who had come to greet him.

The two pages of flowered stationary which Elizabeth took out of the envelope were filled with the telltale signs of a female writer: curlicues and perfect penmanship.

Curious as to the author, Elizabeth looked first to the signature at the end of the second piece of paper.

"It's from Doris", she said with an anxious look to Jack before she turned her attention back to the first sheet of paper and began reading silently.

Jack set down his glass, suddenly feeling apprehensive.

The last time he had seen Doris and Aaron had been at his wedding when they had been happily in love, as he had always known them to be. Jack had known them since they courted, he had seen them marry and have two children, and now .. . . . he didn't want to think about what might be happening now with their marriage. They had always been the perfect couple. Had Aaron's job as a Mountie destroyed their marriage?

"Thank goodness. They got a dog. Well, that problem is solved", Elizabeth said with a satisfied sigh as she finished reading the letter.

"What?", Jack asked, thinking he hadn't heard correctly.

"They got a dog. Everything is good."

"How does a dog solve everything?"

Elizabeth looked over the letter again while speaking.

"They had several talks, Doris cried, Aaron cried, Doris cried some more, and they came to an agreement. Aaron's going to remain a Mountie because he loves it and Doris wants him to do what he loves. Whenever he's out of town overnight, Doris and the children will stay with her family or one of her brothers will stay with them. . . apparently she has three brothers. They also got a dog, a German Shepherd. Doris said it's very loving and already very protective of the family. . .

. . . They decided to name the dog 'Sabrina' ", Elizabeth said with a laugh as she thought of their brave and protective friend, Sabrina LaPointe.

"And Doris agreed that she will never keep something from Aaron - even if it's to protect his feelings. They agreed to always be honest with each other, no matter what. . . .

And Aaron, well, Aaron promised to do everything Doris asks for the next hundred years as long as she promises to stay safe and married to him", Elizabeth said with another laugh.

"So, everything worked out," Elizabeth said happily as she set down the letter and looked at Jack.

"Aaron enclosed a note for you", she said as she reached across the table and handed Jack a folded piece of paper, with Jack's name written in bold letters.

The note was short but Jack stared at the words for a long time. Finally, he folded the piece of paper and placed it in his shirt pocket.

Without revealing the contents of the note to Elizabeth, he stood up and moved around the table. Crouching down to Elizabeth, he put his arms on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"If I ever ignore something you say, or forget something important or neglect you, you tell me." His voice was hoarse with emotion as he spoke.

"I will", Elizabeth said, slightly taken aback by Jack's seriousness.

"Promise me. Because I never want to lose you," he said quietly, as he moved even closer and wrapped his arms around her.

"I can never lose you", he whispered into her hair, so faintly that she almost didn't hear him. She wasn't sure if he was actually speaking to her or merely speaking his fear aloud.

"I promise", Elizabeth said as she realized how much Aaron's note must have affected Jack.

Jack held her a moment longer, and then broke away. Elizabeth thought she saw him wipe his eyes as he stood up, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Well, let's have dinner", he said with a smile

* * *

Elizabeth never asked Jack what was in Aaron's note, but she had a feeling that whatever it was, it was a reminder to Jack about how fragile life and marriage could be.

That night after dinner, Elizabeth sat on the couch, grading student papers and trying not to be too harsh with her teaching corrections as her pencil marked up the pages.

Jack lounged on the other end of the couch reading a book, his legs stretched out on the cushions, occasionally getting up to stoke the fire, which took the chill off the late autumn air.

"Your neck okay?", Jack asked when he noticed Elizabeth set down her pencil, and tilt her head back, moving her neck from side to side.

"Just a little sore. After school, I tried to clear away more of that area where we're planning on putting in a small garden in the Spring. My neck and shoulders are starting to feel it."

Jack marked his page with a thin leather strap, and closed his book before setting it down on the simple parlor table and moving over to Elizabeth.

"Turn around", he ordered.

Puzzled, Elizabeth shifted on the couch, sitting sideways, her back to Jack.

Jack gathered Elizabeth's long hair and moved it off the nape of her neck, pushing it over one of her shoulders.

"Unbutton the top buttons of your blouse", he instructed her.

Without questioning, Elizabeth moved the school papers off her lap and did as Jack asked.

Jack's hands pushed aside the top of her blouse, exposing the pale skin of her shoulders. His strong fingers began a gentle massage, kneading her neck and shoulder muscles.

Elizabeth leaned her head forward, closing her eyes, and enjoying the feel of Jack's hands on her.

While he took his time, quietly rubbing and manipulating her muscles, Elizabeth thought about how she had previously given Jack massages when he had come home from a long day riding, and once when he was full of tension sitting in her family's drawing room in Hamilton. _That was when my family was being awful to him_ , she remembered.

"That feels nice", she sighed as his fingers pressed into her skin.

"I'm just getting started, Mrs. Thornton", he said huskily as he moved one of his hands inside the front of her blouse.

"Good heavens!", she thought pleasantly as his hand moved farther down her blouse, and she felt his warm lips kiss her neck.

* * *

The next day, as Elizabeth was leaving the Café, she glanced off into the distance and saw the familiar red coats of Mounties riding towards town. She quickly turned around and pushed open the Café door, and headed straight for the kitchen.

It was still earlier afternoon; if the men weren't coming to the cottage until supper, Elizabeth had plenty of time to have Abigail help her make a nice meal for supper . . and maybe even a light snack for the afternoon.

An hour later, when Elizabeth carried over some pastries and warm tea to the jail, she was surprised to see someone other than Jack sitting at his desk.

"Constable Thornton and Constable Meade went to send a telegram. Can I help you with something?", the Mountie volunteered when he saw Elizabeth's surprised expression.

"Hello, I'm Elizabeth Thornton, Jack's wife. I thought you gentlemen might like some tea and pastries."

"Tea and pastries? Wife? . . I didn't realize Jack was married. Unusual for a Mountie ", he said as he looked at the pastries on the doily covered plate and then at Elizabeth.

"I'm Constable Oakes."

" I was just looking at these pieces of fabric and wondering what kind of case Jack would be working on", the man added when he noticed Elizabeth glance at the pieces of fabric which he was fingering.

"Oh, those aren't part of an investigation. They're fabric swatches for a new chair I'm ordering. I want Jack to help me choose." Elizabeth explained happily.

"I've never known a Mountie to care about fabric swatches", Constable Oakes remarked dismissively.

"Jack likes us having a nice home."

"He's a Mountie", the man responded, his voice indicating that Elizabeth must be mistaken. A Mountie wouldn't be concerned about having a nice home.

"Don't you care about where you live?", Elizabeth asked, suddenly feeling defensive.

"Of course those things are nice for some people, but I'm a Mountie and I plan to advance my career. Take my next assignment for instance. It's a small outpost. Not much in the way of an established town. Certainly no need for fabric swatches. It's what we call a 'hardship tour'. It will be great for my career. When I finish my year there, I'm a shoe-in for promotion."

Elizabeth didn't know how to respond, so she just looked around awkwardly, wondering if she should wait for Jack.

"And this pearl encrusted hair comb I found in the desk drawer when I was looking for a pencil? That's not part of an investigation?", Constable Oakes asked as he held up a hair comb which Elizabeth recognized as one her parents had given her for her 17th birthday.

"Um, No that's mine".

Elizabeth quickly grabbed the hair comb, her face reddening when she remembered when she had last worn it.

 _So this is where I lost it! Oh, yes, . . . I was sitting on Jack's lap, and he tasted delicious. . .like peppermint. . . and he was running his hands through my hair . . .and then we got a bit carried away._

"and those coats on the cot? Those . . are they part of an investigation?", the constable asked, motioning to the bundles on the cell cot, and breaking into Elizabeth's thoughts.

"No. Those are mine. I was having them altered and updated a little before winter. Jack was going to bring them home for me", Elizabeth responded uncomfortably. _Do all Mounties have to be so detail oriented_?!, she thought.

The man gave her a puzzled look.

"But you're wearing a coat", he said inquisitively

"Well, yes. But this is an autumn coat. Those are my winter coats."

"How many coats does one woman need?", he asked with furrowed brow.

Elizabeth grew flustered at his slightly condescending tone.

She thought about telling him that the light mauve coat was for slightly breezy cold days, and the white coat with the high collar was for dry chilly nights when she wore pale colored clothing, and she had a tan coat with the cute fur collar in her closet for when she traveled, _oh. . . never mind._

 _There's no reason he has to know that I also have the pretty light pink coat which I wore when Jack told me he loved me for the first time, . . . and the powder blue coat just because it's so warm and soft that it makes me feel all yummy._

Elizabeth stood there silently while Constable Oakes looked her over and seemed to contemplate what kind of woman Jack had married.

The opening of the door interrupted the awkward silence.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing here?", Jack asked as he and another man wearing the uniform of red serge and tall riding boots entered.

"Jack, I was just bringing you some tea and pastries", Elizabeth said as she hurriedly walked over to him.

"Thank you. This is Constable Meade. I see you've already met Constable Oakes"

"Anything else?", he asked, when he noticed she wasn't making a move to leave after introductions were completed.

"No, that was all", Elizabeth responded, suddenly self-conscious.

"Okay. I'm kind of busy. We'll see you at home for supper", Jack said as he moved to his desk.

* * *

"Jack didn't even kiss me. He was all "work-like", Elizabeth complained to Abigail as she sat at the table in the kitchen, helping Abigail peel a pile of potatoes.

"Well, he was working, wasn't he?", Abigail asked with a smile.

"Well, yes, but. . . well, still, I guess I'm just used to _some_ affection from him."

"Elizabeth, you can't expect him to kiss you in front of other Mounties when he's working. When you're working at school, he doesn't kiss you in front of your students, does he?"

"Goodness, no. You're right. I'm just being sensitive."

Elizabeth sat at the table thinking, and absent-mindly watching Abigail get a knife and begin to chop the potatoes at the counter.

"Abigail, how many coats do you have?"

"Winter coats? Just one. It's not cold enough to wear it yet. I'll wear a shawl until then. Did you need to borrow it?"

"No, I was just wondering."

"What's on your mind?"

"Do you think I have too many coats?"

"Well . . ." Abigail paused before speaking , "What's this all about, Elizabeth?"

"Elizabeth looked up in surprise when she realized Abigail had avoided answering the question.

"Do I? ", she asked insistently.

Abigail hesitated and sat down at the table.

"Most women around here own one good winter coat. It has to be sturdy enough to withstand the weather. When it gets torn or loses a button, it's repaired. . . . and then put away for the next winter. . . and the winter after that. You seem to own enough coats for several women." Abigail spoke gently.

"Elizabeth, what's going on? Has Jack said something?"

"No, Jack hasn't. But Constable Oakes did.

"I assume Constable Oakes is one of the Mounties in town?"

"Yes. He's 'advancing his career' according to him. He made it sound like Jack wasn't advancing his career. Like Jack's not going to get promoted or advance in the Mounties. He's just making me wonder if perhaps Jack's career is going nowhere because of me."

"Because you have too many coats?", Abigail asked, clearly not understanding the situation.

"Because I have lots of coats. Because I bring my husband tea and pastries on a doily covered plate to jail, and I have him carry my coats home for me, and I leave my hair combs at his desk, and I have him look at fabric swatches. . . and well, . . . because I'm his wife. I got the distinct impression that Constable Oakes is one those men who doesn't think Mounties should marry, especially if the wife is someone like me. He made it seem like Jack is getting . . . oh, I don't know . . . soft or something."

"Elizabeth, we both know Jack has a great attention to detail. I'm pretty sure he noticed you had a lot of coats before he asked you to marry him." Abigail said with a friendly chuckle.

"I know, but -"

"Elizabeth, Jack knew exactly what kind of woman you were when he married you. He loves you just the way you are.

". . . It's just. . . . well, I told you about his friend Aaron and how his being married almost made him give up being a Mountie .. . and now Jack's spending time with other Mounties and . . what if . . . what if he decides he misses being a single Mountie and living in tents and going on 'hardship tours', whatever that is?", Elizabeth asked hesitantly.

Abigail gave a laugh. "You really are being sensitive. Elizabeth just because he didn't kiss you and he's working with other Mounties does not mean he's going to regret getting married to you.

Now, let's get that stated cooking. You're having company for supper."

Elizabeth realized she wasn't looking forward to the supper company. She wasn't looking forward to it at all.


	9. Chapter 9 - Supper Guests

**Dear readers, a few of you have reviewed and asked for longer chapters and more romance. Chapter 9 is the longest chapter to date and I added some more romance. For all of you that are snowed in this weekend, snuggle up warm and enjoy!**

Chapter 9 – Supper Guests

Elizabeth wasn't the only one that got the feeling that Constable Oakes looked down on Jack's marital status.

While sifting through paperwork and working on their investigation, Constable Oakes kept up a running list of questions regarding Elizabeth. Questions that gave the impression that he thought Jack was weak for marrying. Especially marrying someone as inept at country living as Elizabeth.

"Can she identify poisonous and nonpoisonous edible plants?", he asked, looking at Jack with a mixture of confusion that Jack would want to marry and contempt that Jack actually did marry.

"Not that I know of."

"Can she track animals?"

"No."

"Can she fish?"

"No." Jack sighed as he grew weary of the questions.

"Can she trap small game?"

"No."

"Can she set a broken bone?"

"She hasn't had to, and I'm not planning on breaking any bones. Unless you keep aggravating me", Jack responded.

Constable Oakes became temporarily quiet at Jack's response, but much to Jack's annoyance, the quiet didn't last long.

"If you wanted a wife, shouldn't you have married someone who is a little more . . . how should I say it? A little more adept at handling herself in the wilderness? Someone who can take care of herself . . . someone who can hunt and field dress a deer. Someone like that?"

"I don't know, Constable Oakes. I always thought it was important to marry someone you loved. Somehow field dressing a deer just didn't seem to come up during our courtship", Jack responded wryly.

"Can she even chop wood to make you a decent fire for warmth?"

"She doesn't need to chop wood to keep me warm at night", Jack said dryly, as he continued to shuffle through his paperwork.

Almost immediately he regretted making the comment. It was none of the other Mountie's business what occurred in his home. Still, he noticed that Constable Oakes stopped making comments after that.

Jack put down his papers and sighed in frustration. Now that he was thinking of Elizabeth keeping him warm at night, there was no way he could concentrate on work.

Constable Meade shook his head in amusement. He was thoroughly enjoying listening to the squabbling. He was also pretty sure that both men would be quiet for a while as they thought about the pleasurable aspects of being with a woman. He smiled when he thought that Hope Valley was certainly supplying its share of entertainment, and they hadn't even had supper yet.

* * *

That evening when Jack started to set the forks on the table, Elizabeth gently took them from his hand and handed him four others. "Those were lunch forks, these are dinner forks", she explained when he quizzically looked at the forks which were almost identical to the ones he had just had.

"Elizabeth, they won't know the difference."

"But I will. This is our home and I want you to be proud of it", she called out to him as she pushed the box of fancy silverware her mother had sent under the bed.

As Elizabeth gave the room one final look, she suddenly jerked back and shuddered.

"Jack!", she yelled at him.

Jack put his head around the corner and looked at her questionably.

Elizabeth motioned to where Comet was playfully batting a half-dead mouse with her paws. "Please?", she beseeched him.

"Of course, my brave wife. You handle the tiger in the house while I handle the mice in the house", Jack said humorously as he scooped up both Comet and the mouse and put them outside.

Jack hadn't told Elizabeth about Constable Oakes thoughts on women and what that man perceived as the entire female gender's lack of ability to survive in the wilderness. It had crossed Jack's mind more than once that the constable might not be the most pleasant supper guest.

Jack would deck any man that insulted Elizabeth's loyalty or integrity, but he didn't see the need to bruise his hand or ruin a good meal just because a man was rude and opposed to wives in general. He hoped Elizabeth felt the same way . . . about Jack not needing to bruise his hand.

He realized he probably didn't need to worry about Elizabeth. It was Constable Oakes who would most likely come out on the losing side of any battle.

Jack thought back to how he had proudly walked down the Saloon steps in his neatly pressed Mountie uniform to find Elizabeth, her first week in town, writing on the chalkboard. As the new school teacher in town, Miss Elizabeth Thatcher had quickly proven that she was more than capable of holding her own against a rude arrogant Mountie who didn't think she had any business being in Coal Valley.

"Jack, what are you smiling about?", Elizabeth asked when she noticed Jack standing by the kitchen with grin on his face.

"Just thinking about your toes."

"My toes?"

"Never mind", Jack said with a chuckle.

 _Men! They certainly are curious creatures_ , Elizabeth thought as she went to check on the chicken pot pie cooking in the oven.

* * *

The chicken pot pie was delicious. Even the harshest critic wouldn't have been able to find fault with the flaky crust, the tender potatoes and carrots, and the moist chicken pieces. The men enthusiastically ate, asking for seconds and thirds, until there was nothing left. Elizabeth gave the final serving to Constable Oakes as she happily realized that the more food he put in his mouth, the less he could talk.

Constable Meade was gracious and a pleasant conversationalist. But Constable Oakes, even though he seemed to thoroughly enjoy the meal, could not hide his disdain for his hostess.

It didn't seem to matter to him that Elizabeth was a hard working teacher, that her students loved her, or that she was happy to be living in one bedroom simple cottage on the outskirts of the forest.

The only thing that mattered to Constable Oakes was that Elizabeth had done the unthinkable.

She had somehow persuaded a young promising rugged Mountie to become a husband. A husband who didn't seem to mind fabric swatches, doilies, and a kitten that purred to be held.

By the time she had cleared the table of the supper plates, Elizabeth had given up trying to earn Constable Oakes' respect. She had been a polite, gracious, and even humble hostess to him throughout the main course.

As she put the last dirty plate in the sink, she was slightly disappointed that she hadn't left a chicken bone in the pot pie for him to choke on.

When Elizabeth had looked at Jack a few times, he either shook his head slightly indicating she should ignore Constable Oakes' rudeness, or he had looked at her like he was waiting to see how she would respond. Elizabeth realized that Jack was going to let her handle it until he thought she needed his help.

 _Obviously Jack thinks I can deal with this without him stepping up to defend me. I suppose he's right_. _My goodness, is this how Jack felt when he had dinner at my home and my family treated him so dreadfully?! How awful!_

Elizabeth's life in Hamilton hadn't taught her how to be a Mountie, but it had taught her many valuable things, including the lessons of old Mrs. Sutton, her etiquette teacher. For one hour every Sunday for a summer, the elderly woman had taught Elizabeth and her sisters what she considered to be the necessary skills of life.

At the time, Elizabeth hadn't questioned Mrs. Sutton's ideas as to what constituted a 'necessary' skill. While Hamilton wasn't exactly Hope Valley, the life of a wealthy socialite came with its own set of hazards.

All the Thatcher women had been taught how to politely decline a man's unwanted invitations, how to delicately reposition a man's hand when it strayed too far on one's body while dancing, and how to accept flattery without seeming vain.

Most importantly for this evening, the young ladies had learned how to maintain their composure and be gracious when putting a boorish person in his place.

It was time to put old Mrs. Sutton's training to use.

"It must be hard work living here in a small town", Constable Oakes remarked as Elizabeth cut a knife through the apple pie, and using a silver spatula, placed a slice on a dessert plate.

"I'm a teacher. We're used to hard work", she said as she passed him the plate.

"You don't seem to be the type of woman who is used to living in a small town. In a simple cottage."

"Do you know many women, Constable Oakes? How very surprising", Elizabeth said sweetly without waiting for an answer.

Constable Oakes seemed confused by her assessment that he must not know many women, and he was temporarily quiet as he passed a slice of pie to Constable Meade.

"I understand you're from Hamilton. I'm sure you miss the modern conveniences of electric lights and gas stoves. It must have made the chores easier", he said as he picked up his fork and spoke again.

"Oh, I never did chores in Hamilton."

"You never did chores?!"

"That's what the servants were for", she said a little too innocently. "If I did their jobs, what would they do?"

The constable looked surprised by her answer, but it only served to reinforce his opinion that she was spoiled and didn't belong as a Mountie wife.

Elizabeth didn't care what he thought. He was rude and cocky.

"So you had a servant?"

"Several", she replied, as she moved to pour the tea.

"Several?!"

"Five or six, I suppose. There was the butler, the driver, the cook, the maid, the gardener. Jack, dear, am I leaving anyone out?"

Jack smiled, wondering where Elizabeth was going with this. "No, I don't think you forgot anyone, dear."

"I don't think I would be very comfortable living that sort of lifestyle", Constable Oakes remarked as he took a sip of tea.

"Well, then perhaps you shouldn't", Elizabeth offered with a smile.

Before Constable Oakes could say any more, Constable Meade spoke up, trying to make polite conversation.

"I noticed that your silverware is engraved. That's a nice touch, especially for only being married a short time. Was it a wedding gift?"

"Yes, it was. It's actually an old family set which my mother gave us. There was no need to change the monogram", Elizabeth said pleasantly to Constable Meade. "Although that's not the only reason I married Jack . . so I didn't have to change my monogram", she added with a laugh.

"So your maiden name began with the letter "'T" also?"

"Yes. Perhaps you've heard of my family. Thatcher. My family name is Thatcher. From Hamilton."

"I have heard of them. It's well-known in Cape Fullerton and Hamilton. You must have learned a lot about the shipping business growing up", Constable Meade remarked in a congenial tone.

"Thatcher Shipping?", Constable Oakes said with a strangled voice, as he looked at her in surprise and then turned to look at Jack.

"You're married to a Thatcher?", he exclaimed, wide-eyed to Jack.

"Actually, she's a Thornton now", Jack said cheerily.

Constable Oakes was silent while Constable Meade and Elizabeth talked about the shipping business, her travels to Cape Fullerton, and what she thought of the whaling ships that frequented Fullerton Harbor.

A delighted Constable Meade was laughing as Elizabeth told the story of when she was 11 years old, she insisted on wearing a clothespin on her nose to keep out the putrid smell of whale oil as she walked the Harbor docks with her father.

"It must be hard for you living a normal life now after years of growing up so privileged", Constable Oakes remarked condescendingly.

"I'm handling it just fine", she said pleasantly.

"But still, trying to live a life you're not accustomed to can't be easy", he goaded her.

"I could ask you the same thing, Constable Oakes. After years of growing up so rough, you must be finding it very difficult trying to be a gentleman. It really shouldn't be so hard. Perhaps you just need more practice", she said sweetly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it will come to you one day", she added with a smile.

Jack tried to stifle a snigger, while Constable Meade broke out in loud guffaw, and raised his glass in a toast to Elizabeth.

Constable Oakes remained silent for the remainder of dessert, begrudgingly realizing that he had been put in his place.

* * *

After the meal, the men excused themselves to the front room to discuss their investigation while Elizabeth cleaned the kitchen. Although she wouldn't admit it to Jack, Elizabeth normally found Mountie business to be dull. _Who cares about livestock and land rights and taxes,_ she usually thought _._

But her ears perked up at tonight's conversation. When she heard the words diamond thief and murder, Elizabeth set down the dishtowel and moved closer to the doorway.

". . . . . . he says that saw her wearing the diamond necklace at 3:00 as he was hailing a taxi. . . "

" . . . that leaves eleven hours until the body was found . . . . "

". . . . no idea during those eleven hours when the meeting was?. . . "

" . . . how many suspects are there? . . . . "

". . . What did you say the victim was wearing when he was found in his hotel room?"

Elizabeth stood outside the door listening to more of the conversation until the whistling of the tea kettle drowned out the sounds of the men.

"He's lying", Elizabeth said as she walked into the room, carrying the kettle to refill their cups.

The men looked up at her curiously.

"Well, he is. The man you were talking about. He's lying about when he was there. That's obvious", she said looking at the men as if they were missing what was apparent.

"Why would you say that?", Jack asked.

"Because he said the woman was wearing the diamonds when he saw her at 3:00. That doesn't make any sense. Maybe 4:30 if in the middle of winter, but certainly not 3:00 in autumn."

The men looked at each in confusion while Elizabeth finished filling their teacups.

When he noticed Constable Oakes roll his eyes at Elizabeth, Jack spoke up.

"Elizabeth, can you explain why you think the man is lying?"

"Honestly, don't men know anything?" she said in disbelief.

Suddenly it dawned on her. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't know this. . . some men wouldn't. That would explain why he told such a stupid lie. . . A man might not know. No society lady would make such a careless statement, unless of course, she didn't think a man would notice. " Elizabeth said, thinking aloud.

"Honey for your tea, anyone?", she asked as turned and went into the kitchen.

The men stared after Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth. What in the world are you talking about?" Jack called out as he leaned back in his chair and looked into the kitchen, where Elizabeth was getting the honey pot.

"Oh, sorry", she said, realizing that she hadn't bothered to explain. Walking back into the front room, she placed the honey pot with the wooden dipper on the table.

"Diamonds are only worn after dusk. Except an engagement ring. That can be worn anytime. Diamonds are obviously expensive, and well, . . . it's considered vulgar to wear them during daylight. A lady would know that. She would never wear a diamond necklace before sundown. Never."

"Elizabeth, are you sure?", Jack asked.

"Of course I'm sure. It's simply not done."

The men glanced at each other for a moment. Elizabeth's assurance was enough for Jack and Constable Meade. Constable Oakes hesitated briefly until he remembered that Elizabeth had grown up in a mansion with five or six servants and a life without chores. She would know about diamonds.

". . .and since the sun wouldn't have set by 3:00 in October, the two men at the club and hailing a taxi were lying about either the time or about seeing the diamonds!", Jack said as the men rifled through their notes and looked up at Elizabeth.

"That's right", Elizabeth said as she nodded in agreement.

Five minutes later Elizabeth carried a plate of cookies into the front room. She noticed that the men had pulled the Farmer's Almanac from the bookshelf.

"So, if the sunset was at 6:15, and if they saw the diamonds, and they probably did because they described them and other witnesses saw them, that still leaves us an entire evening and into the night", Constable Meade said in exasperation.

"I don't think so", Elizabeth said casually as she set down the plate and began to gather some school books for tomorrow's class.

The men looked at Elizabeth.

"Go on . . . please", Constable Oakes encouraged her. "It's obvious that you know more about this than any of us does", he readily admitted, eager for her help.

"Well, you said the dead man was wearing morning dress, you know. . . a morning coat, waistcoat, formal striped trousers, white shirt, etcetera. So he had to been going to an event that began before seven o'clock in the evening. It's socially unacceptable to wear morning dress after 7:00 p.m. If he was still alive at 7:00, he would have changed before going out. He would have known that he would cause attention wearing morning dress after 7:00 p.m."

The men stared wide-eyed at her for a split second before quickly looking through their notes.

"So the incident took place after 6:15 and before 7:00. We know who was not accounted for during that time!", Jack exclaimed.

The constables all looked at each other and grinned.

"We've got to send a telegram", Jack said as the men began to hurriedly gather their notes, and put on their jackets.

Jack gave Elizabeth a quick kiss on the cheek as the men rushed out the door.

 _So he can kiss in front of other Mounties_ , she thought with a smile, as she closed the door behind them.

* * *

It was long past midnight when the sound of the front door opening caused Rip to lift his head from the bed covers. He sensed immediately that it was Jack, and he waited patiently for his owner to enter the bedroom.

"Thanks, boy. I appreciate it", Jack said quietly to Rip as he leaned over and stroked his head. "You can go to your own bed now. "

As Rip lazily jumped from the bed and waddled across the room to his blanket in the corner, Elizabeth stirred sleepily.

"It's just me. Go back to sleep", Jack whispered as he quietly changed into his night clothes.

Jack pulled back the bed sheets and climbed in beside her, causing Elizabeth to mumble, "How did it go?"

"Excellent. Your help with the timing of the events was incredible. We sent a telegram to the Edmonton headquarters. They sent some men to take the suspect into custody. We waited at the mercantile until we got word. . . . Sorry I was gone so long. When they arrested the suspect, they searched his home and found incriminating evidence. "

"Good", she murmured.

"You're becoming quite the little Mountie, Jack whispered as he kissed her on the forehead.

"We make a good team. Me with my drawing room education and you with your country boy upbringing", she said with a sleepy smile.

"We certainly do."

"Constable Oakes was quite impressed with you. He even asked if you had a sister he could marry. When I mentioned Julie, he seemed very interested", Jack added with a smile as he looked at his sleepy wife in the dim moonlight coming in the window.

Just before she fell asleep again, Elizabeth smiled when she thought of Rule number 3: Remember that you have something special to add to every person you meet.

She had certainly taught Constable Oakes a thing or two.

* * *

Elizabeth had only been asleep 20 minutes when she was awakened by the sound of someone walking across the room.

"Jack, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I couldn't sleep. I'm just going to go out in the other room. Go back to sleep."

After five minutes, Elizabeth crawled out of bed. Now that she had been awakened twice in one night, it was too hard to fall back asleep.

Jack was sitting on the couch, reading a book, the pages illuminated by a lantern. The flames crackled in the fireplace. He looked up when he heard her enter.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to disturb your sleep."

"I thought the investigation went well. Why can't you sleep?"

"Too much excitement for today. Just too wound up."

"What are you reading?", she asked when she noticed the book in his lap.

"Regulations and Migratory Patterns of Waterfowl of North America. I'm trying to bore myself to sleep."

Elizabeth sat down next to him, and leaned her head on his shoulder. He noticed the faint scent of her perfume.

"Read it aloud", she murmured.

"You want me to read this aloud?"

"mmmhm", she said as she nuzzled her head closer to him.

Jack shrugged and began reading.

By the time he finished reading the third paragraph, Jack had an idea of what Elizabeth was up to, but he read a fourth paragraph just to confirm his suspicion. When he finished the last sentence of a paragraph on how to identify dabbling ducks, he glanced over at her.

He was right.

The hem of her long nightgown which had started out pooling on the floor, was now almost up to her knees. With every paragraph he had completed, she had been teasingly moving the fabric a few inches up her legs.

Jack smiled and began reading again, anticipating what would happen next.

When he finished the paragraph on the migration pattern of Canadian Geese, he glanced up from the book. Jack watched out of the corner of his eyes as Elizabeth's fingers took hold of her cotton garment and scooted it two inches higher before she stopped.

Jack, his interest growing, quickly began to read again. Elizabeth took her fingers and lightly ran them over his thigh, causing him to suck in his breath.

He tried to estimate how many paragraphs he could read before her gown was so high on her body that he wouldn't be able to resist her.

Her hem was now resting above her knees. She moved her mouth to his ear. Her warm breath excited him as her teeth tugged seductively on his earlobe.

Jack tore his glance from her perfect knees and looked back at the book. The words on the page were starting to jumble together as he thought about what he wanted to do with those knees.

She moved her leg so that it now brushed against his, causing him to accidentally read the same sentence twice.

Elizabeth giggled but motioned him to keep reading.

He read another paragraph. Her hand was now back to gently rubbing his leg causing him to almost drop the book. He watched as she moved the fabric up to her mid-thigh.

"Keep reading, Jack", Elizabeth instructed as she pointed to the book.

Jack moved his hand to her exposed thigh, caressing the soft skin as he read another paragraph, his eyes trying to focus on the page. When she leaned back her head and sighed in pleasure, he tripped over some words, but kept reading.

When he finished the paragraph on the mating season of the Northern Pintail , Elizabeth's fingers took hold of her hem and moved it up another few inches.

"You're running out of leg there", Jack chuckled.

"Oh, this nightgown is coming all the way off", she purred.

"The hell with the book", Jack said as he tossed the book across the room, and pounced on her.

Neither one noticed the book burst into flames when it landed in the fireplace.

He leaned over her, putting the weight of his firm body on his forearms and intertwining his strong legs with her delicate ones. He breathed in her scent as she looked at him. He loved that look. He loved being married to her.

Elizabeth's hands cupped Jacks' face as their mouths met, until she finally had to release him so she could breathe. His lips warmed her neck, and his breath became ragged as he moved on her.

His mouth began to roam her body, inching farther down her soft smooth skin, pushing aside her gown when it got in the way of his lips on her body.

She could hear her own breathing, which had become fast and deep. She didn't try to control it. She hastily tugged on the buttons of his shirt eager to touch his bare solid chest.

She felt the moist heat between them as she struggled to take off his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders.

He moved his hands on her, removing her simple clothing in the hurried yet confident manner of a man who knew what he wanted.

She exhaled deeply when she saw the way he looked at her. She loved that look. She loved being married to him.

After that night, neither one of them could ever look at waterfowl again without blushing or without something stirring inside them.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Rules of Married Life

_**Dear Readers, When I started these vignettes, I intended to only write the first one. Over the past seven months, I have enjoyed writing the stories, and reading your reviews, so much that, somehow, one vignette turned into seven. I hope you enjoyed all of them.**_

 _ **Below is the final chapter to vignette 7.**_

Chapter 10 -The Rules of Married Life

"I noticed you seeing the Mounties off earlier today. Everyone looked happy. I guess last night's supper turned out well", Abigail said with a smile as she stopped by Elizabeth's table at the Café.

"Abigail, it turned out so nice. Thanks again for helping with the pot pie."

"And your idea that Jack might regret being married? Something in your smile makes me think that you're not worried about that anymore."

"You were right. I was just being a little sensitive. I guess it's natural for every couple at some point. I remember how Jack felt about Charles for the longest time", Elizabeth responded.

"Jack wasn't the only one to feel insecure over another person. I seem to remember how you felt around Rosemary when she first came to town. And let's not forget when Faith Carter came to nurse Lee after his sawmill accident", Abigail responded with a grin.

"Please can we just forget that! I mean really, was it really necessary for her to come to Hope Valley? There are plenty of other nurses in this country. I don't see why she had to be the one to come here! ", Elizabeth said in an exasperated tone.

Abigail laughed. "Well, you got over it and it just showed how much Jack cared about you."

"I suppose. But I could have done without the drama in my life", Elizabeth said before putting that incident out of her mind.

"What's that you have there?" Abigail asked when she saw the small thin package tied with a ribbon laying on the table.

"It's a gift from Jack. I found it on my desk when I got to school this morning", Elizabeth said happily.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

"I will when I get home. I'm pretty sure that I already know what it is. I just don't know what it is this time," she said as she looked thoughtfully at the small box. A smile formed on her lips.

"I better get going home so you can get ready for the dinner crowd", Elizabeth added as she gathered her things.

Abigail shook her head in amusement as Elizabeth walked out the door. _She knows what it is but doesn't know what it is? Heaven help Jack, he certainly has an interesting wife._

Elizabeth climbed down the wooden steps of the Café and waved to several students who were playing in the street in front of the businesses. Some of them should most definitely have been studying for tomorrow's test instead of chasing a ball, but she wasn't going to scold anyone on such a beautiful autumn late afternoon.

As she walked down the dirt road towards the cottage, Elizabeth enjoyed the view outside of town. The tall grasses on either side of the road were interspersed with pink and yellow wild flowers, which in turn were buzzing with bees. Off in the distance, eagles flew across the sky to land in tall treetops in the forest. It was the perfect time of day to enjoy the sky as it changed from a beautiful blue in the east to a gorgeous orange in the west as the sun began to set.

Elizabeth felt the presence of something beside her and looked down. Rip, with his lazy attitude, was padding along beside her.

"Hello there, Rip. I'm guessing that Jack saw me walking home alone and sent you to walk with me", she said with a chuckle.

Elizabeth turned slightly and looked over her shoulder. She couldn't see Jack, but she smiled anyway. She was pretty sure that he had watched from the jail until Rip had caught up to her.

* * *

When Elizabeth approached the cottage's front door, Comet stood up and standoffishly greeted her from the porch. Before opening the door, Elizabeth shooed at the kitten until it finally dropped the mouse it held in its mouth. _Jack does not need another mouse as a present_!, Elizabeth thought as she shook her head in exasperation at Comet.

The front door stuck slightly as Elizabeth pushed on it and she had it give it another nudge before it opened. Elizabeth had gotten used to it by now. Just like she had gotten used to the creaking of floorboards in the bedroom, and the small crack in the kitchen window. It was an old cottage but they were fixing it up over time.

She set her books and basket by the small entrance table, and looked around the simple cottage. It was only slightly bigger than her bedroom in Hamilton. Elizabeth actually liked the small size because, unlike her home in Hamilton, she had to keep this one clean.

Elizabeth realized that, not once in their marriage, had Jack complained about helping with chores, or when dinner was undercooked, or when dinner was overcooked, or even the few times she had been so busy reading a good book that she had forgotten to make dinner all together.

Moving across the small front room into the kitchen, Elizabeth picked up the two bowls from the floor and set them into the sink. Pulling and pushing the metal handle up and down, she pumped water until they were full and then set them back on the floor for Comet and Rip, who quickly began lapping the fresh clear water.

Next, she reached into the cupboard and pulled out a scrap of food, which she gave to the basset hound. "Here you go, boy. It's your payment for doing an admirable job escorting me home", she said as he took it from her hand.

She smiled when she thought about how he was doing a good job as a guard dog. As good a job as could be expected of a lazy dog named after Rip Van Winkle.

With the animals taken care off, Elizabeth opened up the icebox and examined the fish which Jack had caught earlier that morning before he left for work. _If Jack can get up early to catch it, I guess I can prepare it_ , she thought as she wrinkled up her face at the idea of cleaning out the fish.

She took the last of the three potatoes from the bottom of the potato bin, and then reached into the cupboard for an onion. Initially proud of how she had organized the kitchen, she had already learned not to store the two together. Jack and Abigail had laughed last week when Elizabeth had exclaimed in bewilderment how quickly both her onions and potatoes spoiled. "Never store them together", Jack had told her.

"How in the world would you know something like that?", Elizabeth had asked in surprise.

"Every country boy does", he had answered with a shrug.

"Well, I'm not a country boy", she had said in a huff as she had thrown the spoiled food out. She now remembered how Jack had smiled, surveyed her body, and given her a wink when he responded. "No, you most definitely are not".

Before turning to the actual work part of making a meal for this evening, Elizabeth took off her shoes and put on her favorite woolen slippers. Sitting down at the small kitchen table, she untied the ribbon from the small box she had received from Jack that morning. When she lifted off the lid and looked inside, Elizabeth gleefully smiled at the expensive white fabric nestled inside.

She sat for a moment contemplating the gift before carrying it into the bedroom and pulling open her dresser drawer. Initially, she was going to place it next to the others in the drawer, but instead she reached her fingers underneath her folded nightgown and pulled out the single sheet of paper.

Elizabeth sat down on the edge of her bed, holding her gift in one hand and the written advice from the Mountie wives in the other. She had never told Jack about the paper. She didn't know what he'd think about it, and so she kept it a secret. Her only secret from him.

She thought number one was the most important.

 **Rule number 1: Make every house, however despicable, a warm and cozy home.** _Well, I've certainly done that. I made my first rag rug, hung curtains, and turned an expensive shawl from Right House department store into a tablecloth. And Bobo and Sally found it warm and cozy here. I've done the wash, kept it clean, made meals. Not to mention I made supper for other Mounties. . . . twice. And well, Jack finds me very warm and cozy so that's good enough._

 **Rule number 2: Learn to make friends quickly (provided there are other people around).** _Hmm, I wonder if circus animals count as friends._

 **Rule number 3: Remember that you have something special to add to every person you meet (this helps when making new friends, see rule number 2)** _I've added new stories to the student's lives . . . even if their parents weren't always happy about it. And I taught those Mounties a thing or two_.

 **Rule number 4: Be prepared for times when you'll be alone.** _I'm still scared, but I'm learning. No one said I had to follow all the rules right away. Perfecting a marriage takes time. I suppose I'll always be a little nervous when I'm alone, but I'll learn to defend myself and our home. Jack's teaching me. And he put the lock on the door and the shutters on the window. Act strong and you'll be strong. That's my new motto._

 _And if I'm really scared, I can always stay with Abigail when Jack's away._

 **Rule number 5: Learn to adapt to new customs and foods. (Bear can be substituted for deer in many meals, and dried animal dung can be burned as a heat source, but save this as a last resort for warming a home. See rule number 1.)** _Okay, I'm NEVER going to burn dried animal dung as a heat source! The Mountie wives can just forget that little piece of advice_ **.**

 _But I did learn what to do about lice. So, I suppose that's adapting. Gosh, I hope I never have to deal with that again!_

 **Rule number 6: Don't get attached to material things (they're likely to get broken, lost, or take up too much space when you frequently move).** _Goodness, there's not much to get attached to. I told mother not to send china or stemware, and nothing much fits in this cottage._

 _I've followed all the rules!_

Now that she thought more about it, there was one rule that Elizabeth worried she might break: Rule Number 6.

She knew she shouldn't care about material things, but she had grown awfully fond of the rug in the schoolhouse which Jack had bought to replace the one they had to burn. There was a paint stain from when Peter had tripped and landed with his painting face down. She barely noticed the spot anymore, but when she did, it reminded her of how much eagerness the students could have for their work.

There was a juice stain in another corner from when Miles had laughed so hard at a story she had been reading aloud that his grape juice had snorted out his nose and onto the carpet.

And Jacob's spurs had left a small cut. He had been so interested in her story of cowboys in the wild west of Texas that he had insisted on wearing spurs on his boots.

There was still a trace of blood from earlier in the week which she would never fully get out of the rug. When Timmy had placed on the rug the injured bunny he had found, Elizabeth's first thought was that they certainly didn't have a lesson on that in Teacher's College!The children had stood around Elizabeth and looked at her with such trusting eye, begging her to help. They were confident that their school teacher could save the small animal.

 _And I did!_

The bunny was now living in a small crate in the school until it was well enough to be released. Jack had laughed when he saw the bunny's hind leg wrapped in a very expensive blue silk ribbon from Elizabeth's hair, but he admitted she had done a good job.

She knew she probably couldn't take the rug with them when they moved to their next assignment. Jack hadn't said they would be moving anytime soon, but she knew it would happen eventually. She realized it wasn't so much the rug itself that she loved, but the memories it held.

Just like the memories this cottage and the town held.

Her mind again replayed her life since her wedding.

\- Her love of teaching, and how Jack supported her.

-The initial awfulness of the lice which actually hadn't turned out too bad. _Actually, Jack made it very nice,_ she thought, blushing a little at the memory of him rubbing lotion in her chapped and red hands.

-The excitement of the circus animals.

-The way Jack had confidence in her strength; confidence that she could handle living outside of town, and dealing with the attitudes of the others.

-Making a home out of the old dilapidated cottage.

-Jack's tenderness and well, _he can also be quite . . . well . . . let's just say he can be quite passionate. . . when we have privacy in our own home, . . . and in the backyard at night, . . . and well, there was the one time in the school, but we made sure that it was dark and we had locked the door!_

Elizabeth's eyes went from the list to the newest handkerchief Jack had given her as a present. This one had three letters. She had curiously, then lovingly, run her fingers along the stitching. It hadn't taken her long to figure out the monogram.

Getting off the bed, she went to the dresser and placed it next to her two other handkerchiefs from Jack. Each one with a monogram representing his nicknames for her. "W.D." for "walking disaster" because she had seemed to get into so much trouble when she had first come to Coal Valley. And "T.O." for "the one" because that's how Jack felt about her.

As much as she loved those two handkerchiefs, this new one, "M.J.T.", was, by far, her favorite.

Married life wasn't what she had expected. It was so much better.

* * *

Jack finished his work for the day and sat for minute at his desk gathering his thoughts.

The desk drawer stuck a little as he opened it. He realized that he should fix that before he turned the desk over to his replacement. Jack removed the envelope from the drawer and pulled out the sheet of paper.

For the third time since he received it that morning, he read the letter. Typed in single space in black ink were the orders for his next assignment.

His reporting date wasn't for another two months. That would hopefully give Hope Valley enough time to find a replacement for Elizabeth.

He already knew the location wasn't ideal. Elizabeth probably wouldn't be able to find a job teaching. She'd have to start all over . . . making a home for them . . . making friends.

They had made good friends here. Friends he never expected to make when he arrived at the dusty town called Coal Valley.

He thought back to that first day. He had ridden into the devastated town, full of widows and fatherless children crowded around the coal mine entrance, fighting over a simple plank. It was a town without a schoolhouse, without a church, without a midwife or even a Café. A town without hope. A town he didn't want to be in.

And then the unexpected had happened.

He had fallen hopelessly, passionately, undeniably in love with Elizabeth.

He knew Elizabeth would miss this town, but he also knew that she would not want to be there without him.

Jack already knew what she would say when he told her they were moving. She would get sentimental about her students and friends, but then she would start packing her bags and declare "We're a team!" and smile at him. And she was right.

They were a team. Forever.

As he put his official orders back in his desk drawer, Jack noticed the other envelope. The one his married Mountie friends, Aaron and Paul, had given him on his wedding day. He had first read it before the wedding ceremony in Ottawa, and again on a few occasions since then.

Jack took out the paper and unfolded it, smiling at the title typed above the numbered list. "The Rules of Being a Good Husband".

He ran his eyes over the rules. He didn't need to read them again. He had already memorized them. He had never told Elizabeth about the paper. He didn't know what she'd think, and so he kept it a secret, his only secret from her.

He realized that he would have followed the rules even if they weren't written on a piece of paper. He would have done them because he loved Elizabeth.

He tried to make sure that she always knew he loved her. That she was prepared to be alone. That she had a warm and safe home. That he supported her and believed in her strength. That he made her feel protected and pampered.

Jack smiled as he thought about all that had happened since he got married.

-The Mountie work he had done . . . some of it helped with Elizabeth's keen insight. He realized that she had not complained once about the occasional nights he had come home late, sweaty, dirty, and tired after a long day of riding.

-The adorable way she had sat on the porch steps, exhausted and with her arm scratched after washing the laundry and giving Comet a lye bath.

-How scared he had been when he thought she was in danger.

-The excitement of the circus animals. He smiled when he thought about how Elizabeth had been at ease with the tiger, but still shrieked at the sight of a small mouse in the house..

-The way she had stood her ground, defending her way of life and her marriage. _Even if the marriage vows were a little different than I realized,_ he thought with a laugh and a shake of his head _. That will teach me to look at her beautiful face instead of listening to what she's saying._ Although, he knew he'd never get tired of looking at her.

-Making a home out of the old dilapidated cottage.

-Elizabeth's tenderness and well, s _he can also be quite . . . well . . . let's just say she can be quite passionate. . . when we have privacy in our own home, . . . and in the backyard at night, . . . and well, there was the one time in the school, but we made sure that it was dark and we had locked the door!_

Jack put the paper with the written rules back in the desk and closed the drawer. Putting on his hat, he walked out of the jail. He was going home to his wife. Maybe she'd even have dinner tonight, he thought with a smile.

Married life wasn't what he had expected. It was so much better. . . . and life with Elizabeth was more interesting than he ever could have imagined.

 _ **The end of Vignette 7**_

 _ **Dear Readers, if you get a chance to re-watch season two, count how many different coats Elizabeth wears! That was my inspiration for the scene I wrote with her and Constable Oakes in Chapter 8.**_

 ** _P.S._** ** _Check out my Vignette 8 "Changes" for the next story and some suspense!_**

 ** _P.S.S. Another writer has chosen to write a story and call it a vignette. It is not written by me and I have nothing to do with it. All my vignettes are by jellybean49._**

 ** _P.S.S.S. I have also written a totally different story called "Reversal of Fortune: What if things were different". It is written under the name woolenslipper to designate that it is not part of my vignette series. If you like my writing style, check it out! There's not too much drama, but a lot of humor._**


End file.
